RE: [IC][Story][Arc 1] (title to be announced later)
07-04-2018, 11:55 AM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2018, 11:59 AM by robkelk.)
07-04-2018, 11:55 AM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2018, 11:59 AM by robkelk.)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 4, 2016
10:52 pm
(direct continuation of the previous scene, with input from BlackAeronaut)
Rob's cellphone rang - the special ringtone he'd associated with Ben's number in San Antonio. He answered on speakerphone so he'd have his hands free, just in case.
"Rob, everything okay there? Something pinged the Good Neighbor system and I wanted to be sure before we all went in, guns blazing."
"I was just about to call. We need a medic, now! Mii's hurt. Everything else is under control."
"Right - Washuu-chan's on her way. Do you have time to give me a situation report?"
"Not yet, except to say somebody attacked us and we've ... defeated them. I was in our bolthole, so I need to debrief the girls to find out just what happened. I'll send a report back with Washuu-chan."
"Should I alert the other complexes?"
"It's too soon to tell. No, go ahead - but just DEFCON 4. We'll stay at 3 until we've confirmed it's safe, then drop to 4."
"Right. I'll do that while you find out what the hell happened. I'll call you later."
"Thanks. 'Bye."
Ruiko looked at Rob, puzzled. "Good Neighbor system?"
"The sensor system that Washuu-chan created to alert Westwood about problems at other buildings, so they could send in the cavalry when necessary. You helped Kazari install it last month, remember?"
"Oh, that's what that was. Okay." Just then, the door to Washuu-chan's lab appeared on the wall opposite the laundry room.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 5, 2016
12:01 am
Rob cleared his throat. "Are we all safe?"
"I've communed with the sacred fire, and sense no further attacks tonight or tomorrow. But I have very little wood prepared to burn in a sacred fire, so I can't say anything about tomorrow night."
"Thank you, Rei."
"I have the Good Neighbor system reporting to my laptop as well as Washuu-chan's system in Texas. If anything does happen despite Rei-san's divination, I'll know about it."
"Thank you, Kazari. We should have that display running full-time on a dedicated monitor in the common room, for when Hino-san isn't available. I'll go buy a Raspberry Pi and a monitor when the stores open - the common room's router's still got a port open." Rob paused for a moment, and continued in a more serious tone. "Washuu-chan, how's Mii?"
"She didn't take any major organ damage. She's going to be fine, but I wouldn't recommend any martial arts or crop-tops for a while. She lost a lot of blood and tissue."
Rob smiled in relief at Washuu's words, then went back to looking serious. "How long is 'a while'? Mii uses a striking style of some sort when she fights."
"She could be up and around after getting a good night's sleep, but the artificial muscles will take another day to sync with her natural musculature. Call it a day and a half to be safe." Washuu looked at Ami as she said that last sentence.
"Wow," Mikoto muttered. "Even that frog-faced doctor back in Academy City can't heal somebody that fast."
Kuroko stood up and turned toward the door to Mii's apartment, then stopped. "Why did you say Konori-sempai shouldn't wear a crop top? I've never seen her wear a bare midriff outfit other than a swimsuit, so it shouldn't matter for a while, but that was an odd choice of words."
"Oh, I didn't have any artificial skin ready in her skin colour. There's a few pale areas on her torso where the attackers bit her, but they'll go away as her natural skin grows into place. Knowing the winters here, nobody'll see her stomach and thighs anyway until she's ready to not bundle up next spring, and she'll be fully healed by then."
"Unless she's sharing a bath with us -- wait, 'bit her'?" Kuroko teleported directly in front of Washuu. "Somebody bit Konori-sempai?"
"You're too close. Multiple bites out of her flesh, which the attackers ate as far as I can tell from the DNA markers in the dust I sampled from the fight scene." Washuu looked gravely serious. "Yes. Whatever those attackers were, they have a taste for human flesh. And their DNA shows they're human."
Makoto shook her head. "I saw them transform into monsters. There's no way they were human."
"You transform into a magical girl, Kino-chan."
Rob held up his hand in a "stop" gesture. "Enough. We all know that people have been showing up here from various stories. What we need to do here is go through what we know and figure out which story the attackers came from. And I refuse to do that while I'm exhausted."
"Sometimes the best free associations are made when you're tired."
"And some of the worst free associations are made when you're tired, too. No, Washuu-chan, we need to get some sleep."
"I don't think I can sleep right now, Rob-san."
"That's up to you, Kazari. If you're going to stay up, could you do some research for me, please? We need a closed-circuit camera system watching the building's access points; if you could find some online, we can place an order in the morning. Anything else, anyone?" After a moment, Rob continued, "Then go get some sleep unless you have something more important to do."
After everyone else left the room - Kazari to do some product research, Kuroko and Mikoto to sit with Mii, and everyone else to try to get back to sleep, Washuu turned to Rob. "I can add a CCTV system to your Good Neighbor system before I go."
"Thanks, but I want Kazari to stay busy. If I could come up with things for the others to do, I'd keep them busy, too."
"There's a large blood stain near the back door that needs to be cleaned up."
"That's my responsibility. And my way to keep busy."
9:10 am
"Transformed?" Mii looked puzzled. "They didn't transform."
"But Makoto said she saw them change."
"I think I would have noticed if the people attacking me morphed into something else, Mikoto."
There was a knock at the door, and Minako walked in with a tray. "Washuu-chan said no solid food until lunchtime, so I brought you a small milk." She passed over a one-litre box of whole milk.
Mikoto sighed. "Minako, that isn't a small milk."
Mii smiled. "It is for me. Thank you, Minako."
Minako turned to Mikoto. "And I brought you some coconut water." She passed it over and kept a teacup for herself, leaning the tray against the closest wall.
"Hey, thanks!"
Minako took a sip of tea. "So, what's up?"
"Mii says the attackers didn't transform. Makoto says they did."
"Well, yes," Minako replied. "We know they had telepathic abilities."
"An illusion! Of course! I wonder which form was the real one. And why did Makoto see them change forms while I didn't? If they were controlling both of our senses, we should have seen the same thing."
They all thought for a moment. "Maybe..." Mikoto started.
"Maybe?"
"Maybe being a magical girl made the difference. The stories about our world -" she gestured to Mii and herself "- says espers and magicians interact with the world differently."
Minako nodded. "And they stopped attacking Mii as soon as they noticed Makoto. They've got to be some sort of magical beings, and they're attracted to our magic." She grabbed the tray and headed for the apartment door. "If I hurry, I can let Washuu-chan know before she leaves."
"She's already gone," Mii commented.
"Oh. Well, I'll let Rob know."
To be continued...
November 4, 2016
10:52 pm
(direct continuation of the previous scene, with input from BlackAeronaut)
Rob's cellphone rang - the special ringtone he'd associated with Ben's number in San Antonio. He answered on speakerphone so he'd have his hands free, just in case.
"Rob, everything okay there? Something pinged the Good Neighbor system and I wanted to be sure before we all went in, guns blazing."
"I was just about to call. We need a medic, now! Mii's hurt. Everything else is under control."
"Right - Washuu-chan's on her way. Do you have time to give me a situation report?"
"Not yet, except to say somebody attacked us and we've ... defeated them. I was in our bolthole, so I need to debrief the girls to find out just what happened. I'll send a report back with Washuu-chan."
"Should I alert the other complexes?"
"It's too soon to tell. No, go ahead - but just DEFCON 4. We'll stay at 3 until we've confirmed it's safe, then drop to 4."
"Right. I'll do that while you find out what the hell happened. I'll call you later."
"Thanks. 'Bye."
Ruiko looked at Rob, puzzled. "Good Neighbor system?"
"The sensor system that Washuu-chan created to alert Westwood about problems at other buildings, so they could send in the cavalry when necessary. You helped Kazari install it last month, remember?"
"Oh, that's what that was. Okay." Just then, the door to Washuu-chan's lab appeared on the wall opposite the laundry room.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 5, 2016
12:01 am
Rob cleared his throat. "Are we all safe?"
"I've communed with the sacred fire, and sense no further attacks tonight or tomorrow. But I have very little wood prepared to burn in a sacred fire, so I can't say anything about tomorrow night."
"Thank you, Rei."
"I have the Good Neighbor system reporting to my laptop as well as Washuu-chan's system in Texas. If anything does happen despite Rei-san's divination, I'll know about it."
"Thank you, Kazari. We should have that display running full-time on a dedicated monitor in the common room, for when Hino-san isn't available. I'll go buy a Raspberry Pi and a monitor when the stores open - the common room's router's still got a port open." Rob paused for a moment, and continued in a more serious tone. "Washuu-chan, how's Mii?"
"She didn't take any major organ damage. She's going to be fine, but I wouldn't recommend any martial arts or crop-tops for a while. She lost a lot of blood and tissue."
Rob smiled in relief at Washuu's words, then went back to looking serious. "How long is 'a while'? Mii uses a striking style of some sort when she fights."
"She could be up and around after getting a good night's sleep, but the artificial muscles will take another day to sync with her natural musculature. Call it a day and a half to be safe." Washuu looked at Ami as she said that last sentence.
"Wow," Mikoto muttered. "Even that frog-faced doctor back in Academy City can't heal somebody that fast."
Kuroko stood up and turned toward the door to Mii's apartment, then stopped. "Why did you say Konori-sempai shouldn't wear a crop top? I've never seen her wear a bare midriff outfit other than a swimsuit, so it shouldn't matter for a while, but that was an odd choice of words."
"Oh, I didn't have any artificial skin ready in her skin colour. There's a few pale areas on her torso where the attackers bit her, but they'll go away as her natural skin grows into place. Knowing the winters here, nobody'll see her stomach and thighs anyway until she's ready to not bundle up next spring, and she'll be fully healed by then."
"Unless she's sharing a bath with us -- wait, 'bit her'?" Kuroko teleported directly in front of Washuu. "Somebody bit Konori-sempai?"
"You're too close. Multiple bites out of her flesh, which the attackers ate as far as I can tell from the DNA markers in the dust I sampled from the fight scene." Washuu looked gravely serious. "Yes. Whatever those attackers were, they have a taste for human flesh. And their DNA shows they're human."
Makoto shook her head. "I saw them transform into monsters. There's no way they were human."
"You transform into a magical girl, Kino-chan."
Rob held up his hand in a "stop" gesture. "Enough. We all know that people have been showing up here from various stories. What we need to do here is go through what we know and figure out which story the attackers came from. And I refuse to do that while I'm exhausted."
"Sometimes the best free associations are made when you're tired."
"And some of the worst free associations are made when you're tired, too. No, Washuu-chan, we need to get some sleep."
"I don't think I can sleep right now, Rob-san."
"That's up to you, Kazari. If you're going to stay up, could you do some research for me, please? We need a closed-circuit camera system watching the building's access points; if you could find some online, we can place an order in the morning. Anything else, anyone?" After a moment, Rob continued, "Then go get some sleep unless you have something more important to do."
After everyone else left the room - Kazari to do some product research, Kuroko and Mikoto to sit with Mii, and everyone else to try to get back to sleep, Washuu turned to Rob. "I can add a CCTV system to your Good Neighbor system before I go."
"Thanks, but I want Kazari to stay busy. If I could come up with things for the others to do, I'd keep them busy, too."
"There's a large blood stain near the back door that needs to be cleaned up."
"That's my responsibility. And my way to keep busy."
9:10 am
"Transformed?" Mii looked puzzled. "They didn't transform."
"But Makoto said she saw them change."
"I think I would have noticed if the people attacking me morphed into something else, Mikoto."
There was a knock at the door, and Minako walked in with a tray. "Washuu-chan said no solid food until lunchtime, so I brought you a small milk." She passed over a one-litre box of whole milk.
Mikoto sighed. "Minako, that isn't a small milk."
Mii smiled. "It is for me. Thank you, Minako."
Minako turned to Mikoto. "And I brought you some coconut water." She passed it over and kept a teacup for herself, leaning the tray against the closest wall.
"Hey, thanks!"
Minako took a sip of tea. "So, what's up?"
"Mii says the attackers didn't transform. Makoto says they did."
"Well, yes," Minako replied. "We know they had telepathic abilities."
"An illusion! Of course! I wonder which form was the real one. And why did Makoto see them change forms while I didn't? If they were controlling both of our senses, we should have seen the same thing."
They all thought for a moment. "Maybe..." Mikoto started.
"Maybe?"
"Maybe being a magical girl made the difference. The stories about our world -" she gestured to Mii and herself "- says espers and magicians interact with the world differently."
Minako nodded. "And they stopped attacking Mii as soon as they noticed Makoto. They've got to be some sort of magical beings, and they're attracted to our magic." She grabbed the tray and headed for the apartment door. "If I hurry, I can let Washuu-chan know before she leaves."
"She's already gone," Mii commented.
"Oh. Well, I'll let Rob know."
To be continued...
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown