Event - All In Your Head

[apocalypsehowmods]

↬ Main Navigation

All In Your Head

➥ Night's Embrace

(cw: supernaturally-induced hysteria/intense emotion; violence; maiming; assault, burglary; murder; implied violence against children)

There's been a sense of unease hanging over Gloucester as the Ides of March approach. First a few, and then a great many locals begin to hurry indoors each evening, lights kept blazing in the windows of homes and businesses all night…when they can be. Stories of assault, burglary, and vandalism dominate the news and no one can seem to agree on the cause, psychiatrists weighing in on air as reports flood in of a woman, a creature, that hunts in the night, along with perpetrator after perpetrator with no history of violence before they suddenly broke into a neighbor's home to smash every source of electric glow. It might be mass hysteria, the talking heads hypothesize, or perhaps pranks taken too far. The alternative is not spoken. It's safe, though, with the lights on and the door bolted. Stay inside, stay in the light, and nothing can harm you.

Too bad about the blackout, then.

It's the night of March 16 when the efforts of the shadow woman meet success thanks to the earnest efforts of a kindred spirit. Gloucester is plunged into darkness with only the waxing moon to dapple the city in silvery shadows, the entire grid taken down. ADI Headquarters and apartments flicker weakly back to life on emergency power, though there's more shadow than light in their halls. Bonnie's Flophouse, like much of residential Gloucester, doesn't have even that saving grace.

The attacks are swift and furious. The shadow woman seems to be in many places at once, appearing simultaneously in family homes, all night businesses…and ADI properties. Where there had been some reprieve in the last days for those in ADI apartments or spending the night at headquarters, as of tonight those places are no safer than the city streets. Some of those she catches she kills or maims; others are sent spiraling into blind terror by the touch of her claws and released to run and be chased again.

But still she does not step into the light, seemingly repulsed by what little brightness can be found or made. Best hope the batteries in your flashlights are fresh.

➥ Illuminating

(cw: derogatory language; mention of long-term imprisonment and murder attempts)

un: n.lehrer

To All Staff,

Report to ADI HQ for an emergency meeting at 11 AM in Conference Room 6. I will be broadcasting over the network, but I would prefer to have everyone together so that we can hand out equipment. Reyes has briefed me on what's been going on while I've been away.

Katie Dunn, an avatar for the Dark native to this world, was recently set free by Deepthi Anand. Dunn is practically allergic to light. We'll be handing out supplies for those who attend the meeting in-person. More soon.

- Nia Lehrer, Warden

It's only a few hours after the message goes out that people who come will find Nia Lehrer stepping up to a podium in the designated conference room. There's also a filming set-up so people can watch the broadcast on the network. Questions that come from the network will be… read by Reyes for Nia to answer, but a back-and-forth conversation may be more challenging for those not physically in attendance. On the wall behind her, there's a projection of a seemingly harmless-looking woman.

There's a definite air of relief among the native staff, along with a significant uptick in focus. Non-native staff may notice a similar sense of renewed determination and attentiveness for themselves, if they let themselves be swept up in it. Whatever fog and oppressive sense that's hung about for the past month or more appears to have dissipated… at least for the moment.

"Thank you all for coming. I'll make this brief: Katie Dunn is one of the most dangerous avatars we've ever encountered since I joined the Apocalypse Disruption Initiative. We've had run-ins with her more than once, but haven't actually figured out a way to kill her, yet. Her capture was a major achievement about two years ago. Which makes her escape particularly frustrating. What's done is done, though.

"Deepthi Anand developed a connection of some sort with her while she was assigned to assist with guarding her while here at ADI. I suspect that's why she returned to free her. And make no mistake, everything I've seen about the attack points to Deepthi… with her boosting Katie's abilities somehow. Right now, we're most concerned with keeping the lights on. Cape Electric has been trying to restore power, but each time they fix something, another piece of the grid gets hit. Whoever blew the entire town's power supply gave her the in she needed to wreak havoc.

"We're going to need all hands on deck. First, we block her ability to cause problems. For that, I need people willing to help with requisitioning generators and high-powered lights, and getting them to the places and people in town who need them most. Hospitals, nursing homes, food supply warehouses, all-night locals, playing interference for electric company personnel. I'm also going to need PR folks spinning up some reasonable explanations for these blackouts and what's been happening with people who get touched by her. Electromagnetic storms? Something about tectonics. Experimental drug from the military that blew through on the wind. Whatever you can come up with.

Little Ms. Blackout wants to play games to create fear and turn people on each other? We cut off that power flow to her, and she becomes an inconvenience, more than an actual problem. I expect her to start targeting us more directly once we start squeezing her, so we'll be issuing flashlights to everyone here. If you know someone who needs one, tell us, and we'll get them one, too."

Nia takes a breath. "While Dunn doesn't like the light, she can survive in it. Direct exposure to it will ward her off, but as long as she can find some kind of shadow, she can squeeze herself into it to stay alive. We know she has the ability to split into multiple shades of herself to cause wider problems. We caught her by trapping all of those in beams of light last time. We need a more coordinated response to be able to handle her, though. I'll be here, working on that if anyone wants to weigh in. In the meanwhile… let's make that bitch's life harder, huh?"

➥ WALKING HELL

(cw: altered mental state, hallucinations, violence, scopophobia, body horror)

Suddenly and without much warning, the world changes. Or….it changes for some people, some of the time. Anyone who finds themselves outside the sanctuary formed by ADI’s buildings will feel woozy, perhaps drowsy for a moment before they blink….and find themselves trapped in a nightmare.

The exact flavor of the nightmare isn’t always constant. In fact, it may not even feel like anything at all is wrong….at first. Characters may continue on after their brief dizzy spell, going about their business until they slowly start to realize that the strangers that they pass in the street are watching them. Watching them as they pass, watching them as they walk away, watching them as their heads turn at unnatural degrees to just keep watching.

Or maybe the nightmare is more immediately obvious. A hole you fall down and just keep falling down for what feels like forever. An angry mob of townspeople who descend on you at random, hands like claws that seek to rend your flesh. It can be any number of things. And it can change. Characters might find that seeking to get away from the source of this horror might work….for that particular horror. Get far enough away, and trade one nightmare scenario for another. They might even find familiar faces stuck in the same situation and can try and work together to get out of whatever nightmare they’ve found themselves in. (It won’t work. But they can try.)

The nightmares don’t come over everyone at the same time, though, and they may even be intermittent for some. Characters might find themselves walking with a friend, only to have one of them begin to react to something that the other can’t see. (..Any injuries sustained, however, will become visible. Even if what’s causing it isn’t. Where did that chest wound come from?)

Even if you’re alone, snapping out of a nightmare might mean finding some of Glouscester’s townspeople staring at you in something like distress or horror. Trying to get medical help from them…will only exacerbate their concern. What wounds, you don’t have any wounds. But you do…don’t you? They’re definitely there.

The only true safety seems to be in ADI Headquarter or housing. ADI staff will be concerned when they do hear reports of the nightmares, but most will swear that they can’t see any wounds that characters have either. And they understand it might be terrifying….but things still need to get done. Characters will be asked but not pushed to go out into town. Or they can just stay inside until this is fixed. Whenever it’s fixed. If it’s ever fixed.

➥ Dunn With This

(cw: attempted capture and imprisonment; reference to attempted murder; violence)

There comes a time when the best defense is, as they say, a good offense. The work ADI has done to cut off Dunn's power by turning back on the lights and calming the public is working; though there are still sightings around Gloucester, she does not seem to have the full free reign she enjoyed in the first nights of the blackout. It's clear that she hasn't given up on whatever she means to accomplish, that she isn't prepared to retreat or lie low.

It's ADI's turn to go on the attack. Word comes down from the top that all staff with field or combat experience are requested to assist in a coordinated effort to recapture Katie Dunn. The plan, as it stands, is to lure each of her shades to a location where she can be pinned in a beam of light. The catch, of course, is that they've done this dance before and she'll be expecting them to try just that. As such, the floor is open for suggestions.

Characters who volunteer to participate in the effort will be informed that the planned procedure for an encounter with one of the shades is for an agent (chosen from those quickest on their feet) to act as bait and try to get Katie to chase them to a predetermined location where other ADI agents lie in wait with a rig of floodlights. It's tricky, dangerous work, and there's no guarantee she won't catch on and avoid the trap or even attack the agents waiting there for the return of their comrade. Worse, it's unclear whether the multiple shades of her roaming the city are separate entities or if they're a hive mind instantly aware of whatever trap one of them falls into.

Characters may also propose alternate plans and methods, and agents will be allocated to assist with any such plans that are deemed to have a decent likelihood of success. Or, of course, they could strike out on their own, though ADI strongly advises against it.

➥ Mod Notes

• GENERAL - Players are welcome to play background NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompts should be sufficient and ordinary people will act like… ordinary people! You're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. Nia Lehrer and Katie Dunn will be available as mod-played NPCs for their specific prompts via the starter below. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly!
  
  
• NIGHT'S EMBRACE (16-18 March) - Characters may find themselves the victims or the perpetrators of the violent and wild acts induced by the shadow woman and her touch. They may also be able to ward her off of an active attack if they're lucky and happen to have a good flashlight with them. After the 16th, nowhere will be safe in town, and characters may find sleeping a challenge when there's a good chance they'll be attacked in the middle of it. Sucks that the coffee pot runs on power, too.
  
  
• ILLUMINATING (19-23 March) - Nia will be available to take questions directly from PC's during the meeting. Players will generally be welcome to threadjack as everyone will be hearing Nia's responses collectively at the same time. Network interaction will be possible, but less focused on quick back-and-forth, and more Q&A-style things that Nia can respond to. Characters in the Administration and Public Relations departments will get a particularly heavy tap to assist with requisitions and spinning up stories, but everyone is welcome to help with either the logistics of acquiring supplies or actually bringing them to people in town or setting up extra floodlights around town. The locals will be very grateful, but confused by the gifts of the generators and lights. Characters with mechanical knowledge will be asked to help with actually installing these for people. If you would like your character to come up with a specific IC story for the blackouts and/or crime streak, please let the mods know in the Questions header on the event OOC post! We will incorporate these into our Headline News items next month.
  
  
• WALKING HELL (22-28 March) - This prompt is very much open to players inventing their own nightmare patches. As stated in the OOC summary, the nightmares can last for any amount of time (including days). Anyone not experiencing the nightmare (including other PCs) will not be able to see what the character is reacting to or see any sort of wounds they suffer while stuck in the nightmare. Any wounds sustained during the time in the nightmare will continue to be visible to PCs and some NPCs even after it ends, but will not be immediately life-threatening no matter what. Two characters in the same place who are both stuck in the nightmare will see the same thing. Please remember to appropriately warn for any triggers/content warnings, especially considering that they are going to vary greatly between different threads. Here is list of player-requested content warnings to keep in mind specifically.
  
  
• DUNN WITH THIS (29-31 March) - While characters are advised by ADI to use the tactics noted above, they are welcome to employ alternate methods of dealing with Katie Dunn. They will have ADI's general support regardless of whether they follow ADI's playbook or come up with their own tactics, including equipment as well as the ability to recruit background ADI NPCs to their plans. However, NPCs generally will not agree to take part in anything that looks like a suicide mission (if you have any questions about whether background NPCs would agree to your character's plan, please submit those under the Questions header on the OOC post). Katie will be available for (hostile) NPC interactions. Please note that the outcome of all encounters with Katie must be decided by March 31, as the outcome of this event will impact the April TDM. If threads have not reached their natural conclusion by that date, players will be asked to decide OOCly on the outcome (and are welcome to continue to tag to reach that conclusion ICly).
  
  

↬ Main Navigation

Comments

B. Treatment

[canofmanji]

[The physical injuries of the attack were healed right away. Almost as fast as they might have healed back home as Manji suddenly gained a taste for going out at night. Of finding people to frighten and terrorize. Something he had been trying to avoid doing and growing sluggish as a result once he learned how to maintain his immortality in this world.

It felt good to be full of energy once more. He just needed to hurt and scare enough people so he wouldn't be so worn out. Greater good is the reasoning he gives himself at the start, but he keeps going well beyond that. It's when he has to stop himself from hurting a completely innocent kid for simply being an easy target that he realizes that he may have a problem. That his curse my have healed the physical wounds, but there was something broken within him that they just can't fix on their own.

That is the reason why he brings himself to see John Carter. He hated doctors. He didn't want to be here. Didn't want to give this one the chance to experiment on him as well. What was he doing here? He shouldn't be here. He's fine. There was nothing wrong with him. This was stupid.] Maybe I should go. [This was a mistake. He's fine. He's fine. He's completely fine. He thinks about the kid's face.] But what was it you're going to do? You know, if I hypothetically needed help?

sorry for the late reply, it's been a crazy week!

[setthetone]

[Hmm. This is different.

All of his patients over the past couple of days had been brought in on a stretcher, disoriented, angry, afraid. Victims by Dunne, out of their mind, plagued by darkness and delirium. This one here seemed to have a different problem. And he seems to be hesitant. Carter knows an avoidant patient when he sees one and he can guess that it took him a lot to come here in the first place.]

Well, hypothetically I would talk to you. Find out what's wrong? And then examine you.

[He puts the chart away, trying to keep his body language open and friendly.]

Hypothetically, what would be bothering you?

All good! Not late at all!

[canofmanji]

Nothing! [He snaps that out a bit more harshly than he probably should.] I'm fit as a fiddle. [For a guy with only one arm and one eye which, judging by the scars, were lost in a violent way.] I'm physically fine. [So why is he here? Manji is slowly forgetting.]

I just heard you were helping people who were attacked by that shadow woman.

[setthetone]

I am.

[He keeps his tone even, trying to meet the aggressive reluctance with level-headedness.]

Is that what happened to you?

[Interesting. Was he attacked by Dunne? He shows a lot more awareness and lucidity than anyone else who was brought in here on a stretcher.]

[canofmanji]

Why do you want to know? [His hand starts to clench. A part of him just wanting to cause violence. Besides, this doctor would probably deserve it for something he's done in his life.] It would be a good excuse to toy with someone, wouldn't it? To cut them open and see what makes them tick.

[setthetone]

[Oh.

Carter tenses and sits up a bit. With Manji coming here by himself he didn't quite expect this level of paranoia. But Luka had been in a similar state the first time around, hadn't he? And then he'd attacked Carter with stones.

It only occurs to him now that maybe he should have asked for protection.]

You came here for help. I want to help.

[He holds up his hands, watching him cautiously.]

Something is bothering you, isn't it? Enough for you to come here and talk to me. Why don't you tell me what it is and I will tell you what I can do for you?

[canofmanji]

[Good. A part of Manji's mind thinks. He wants this doctor to be afraid. It felt good for Cater to fear him.

Just like the kid.

He takes a deep breath and forces his hand to open again.] I-- I've been having some strange thoughts. Dark ones you might say.

This is stupid. You can't help. I'm not injured. I don't know why I'm here.

[setthetone]

That's what happened to the others.

[Carter extends his arm, beckoning at the occupied beds in the med wing. People of Gloucester and ADI alike, resting, recovering.]

It's not your fault. Dunne did something to your head. I can drive the darkness out if you let me.

[And, because he feels some resentment there,]

Without any cutting.

[canofmanji]

[There is a brief moment of hesitation as Manji glances in the direction Carter indicates. His jaw set in a firm grimace.] No cutting? [If he doesn't cut then he's not likely to find out about his immortality.]

Fine. What do you do here?

[setthetone]

It's called light therapy.

[Carter leans over to pull in one of the lamps he uses, showing it to him.]

It's a technique from my world. You wear some protective eye-wear so you won't be blinded and spend a prolonged time under the light of the lamps.

[He holds up his palms.]

That's all there is to it. It's completely non-invasive.

[canofmanji]

[Manji wrinkles his nose at the light. Both for what it is and because he is feeling very skeptical about it.] That's it? How the hell is a light suppose to help fix my head? [Says a man who recently killed a woman of darkness and watched her bleed sand.]

[setthetone]

Magic.

[Carter almost says it with all the disdain he feels for the subject but he manages to keep his tone fairly neutral. He's a doctor, he too wants a better answer than that.]

Light is electromagnetic radiation. A form of energy. Maybe that's what disrupts her powers. Why, I'm trying to find that out myself. It might help us understanding what we're up against better in time.

[canofmanji]

[Manji starts to cross his arms in front of his chest. Briefly forgetting that he only has the one. He tries to play it off as if he meant to just hold his one arm across his chest.]

Fine. If it's just light then I don't see that being too much of a problem. Just no funny business.

[setthetone]

What's "funny business" for you?

[Carter moves to get a new chart and a pen but eyes him quizzically.]

Maybe we can discuss that ahead of time to avoid misunderstandings.

[And, you know. You, potentially dismembering him with that one arm of yours. Which he's pretty sure he could.]

[canofmanji]

Messin' with me. [He narrows his eyes suspiciously at the doctor. Knowing that was very broad and not very fair.] No drugs and no cutting.

[setthetone]

No drugs and no cutting. I can do that.

[He nods towards some of the beds and the people on there, their arms fixed to the metal bars.]

What about restraints?

[That sounds bad, probably, but he keeps his voice level and hurries to clarify, hoping that straightforwardness might be his best bet here.]

I know it's asking a lot but people are freaking out once we cover their eyes. It's to keep them from pulling off the glasses and damaging them while they're covered in light.

Sorry for the delay. Life happened. CW: Mention of medical experiments

[canofmanji]

[Manji tenses at the mention of restraints and seeing the people with their arms fixed to the bars. At least their faces were uncovered, but the blindfolds remind him of the attempt made to help the doctor remain detached from the people he was experimenting on.]

You try to restrain me and I'll gut you like a fish. I'm not afraid of some sunglasses. I'm no coward.

no worries and same, actually!

[setthetone]

You know, there's really no need to do that?

[He's about to try and explain how this fear isn't rational and how everyone he has treated so far has been freaking out but it will probably fall on proud, deaf warrior ears. Or something like that.]

All right. We'll try it without. But let me know when you need to take them off so I can switch off the lights.

[canofmanji]

[He puffs out his chest a bit more with a huff.] I'm telling ya; I'll be fine. I'm no whimp.

[setthetone]

All right.

[Professionalism helps him bite back the tough guy he wants to add to that and he beckons at the bed for him to lie down.]

I'm Dr. Carter. What's your name?

[canofmanji]

Manji. [He looks towards the bed and removes his sword from his belt so that he can properly lay down. Although he keeps the sheathed blade close to him. Never letting it go as he lays down onto the bed.]

No funny business.

[setthetone]

I'm a very serious man.

[He casts a glance over at the sword, then steps around to treat him from the other side.]

Are you comfortable with needles?

[Grabbing an IV-bag he holds it up, then once again points at the other patients hooked up to their drips.]

It's for hydration. Preventing your body from losing too much water under the light.

[canofmanji]

[Manji goes tense. Looking over the others with their IVs in.] What? And that stuff knocks me out so you can do whatever crazy tests you want to try on someone?

[setthetone]

I mean, we could always get you a sippy cup.

[But he puts the bag away, not eager to get mauled for sarcastic commentary. Right. Should probably try to keep those to a minimum.]

All right, here's your sunglasses.

[He hands them over, hoping it will go better if his patient puts them on himself.]

[canofmanji]

If a sippy cup is like what is sounds like? Then screw you. [He snaps before snatching the sunglasses away. Slipping them onto his head and over his eyes.]