LOG - Exploration Catch-All - Closed (for now)

[energyfieldgood]

Who: John Sheppard and Rodney McKay (& potential other explorers and blood river enthusiasts TBA later)
When: Dec 4th and onwards
Where: Dogtown
Summary: John and Rodney explore Dogtown and it's a bloody mess, literally, in so many ways.
Warnings: gun violence; blood; potential for severe injury/death; supernaturally induced violence/aggression; potential for violence to animals; Edit: spiders; swarms of bugs/spiders; cosmic horror; induced madness; fugue state; potential for severe injury


S2: It's quiet in this part of the woods. Strangely quiet. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong. At least until you speak or make some other notable sound. The bullets zip through the trees, with no other warning. They come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. You'll need to be quick to avoid being grazed or even more seriously hit. Probably best to stay quiet. The violence prefers the silence, it would seem. You can move to the south or the east, but directly to the southeast, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine.

S3: Birds chirp merrily in this area. They chirp and chirp and chirp. The woods are alive with sound, and it's too much. It's overpowering, even for those who might be hard of hearing. The bird song fills your ears and your mind, and stopping it may become a singular purpose for those who can't mentally block it out. And if you can't find the birds? Maybe you can find something else to take out that aggression on. Or someone. You can move to the west or the east, but directly to the south, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine. You think there may be some sort of building directly south, but it's hard to make out across the river.

S4: You can move to the west or the east, but directly to the south, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine. You think there may be some sort of building to the southwest, but it's hard to make out across the river.

S5: To the south, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine. A translucent rope bridge (Landmark #5) over the river becomes visible as you draw near. Up close, it becomes clear the bridge is made of spiderwebs. Countless tiny spiders swarm all over it, constantly repairing and rebuilding every little tear in its structure.

T4: You pass into a clearing in the forest that appears... normal, but the way home is distant. Perhaps this is a safe place to camp, if you must? Those who test those waters will find that the night brings its own horrors. Whether inside a tent or not, the stars grow visible, and they are wrong. They howl and shriek their pain. They laugh, rich and full-bellied. They whisper to you in an unfathomable language that slowly pushes you toward madness. In the morning, anyone who has rested here will find themselves in a fugue state, racing for the exit as quickly as their feet will carry them, mindless to spider bridges, to violent birdsong, to bullets that sing through the air for blood. Any supplies and collected items are left behind to hopefully be retrieved at a later date. For now you run and run and run. The stars chitter in your mind for hours after, but you understand nothing. You understand nothing.

Comments

S2

[energyfieldgood]

[It's quiet in this part of the woods. Strangely quiet.

... Or it would be if there wasn't currently one perpetually annoyed scientist following his soldier friend into the forest, expertly managing to step on every snapping branch and not having stopped talking since they ventured into this place.

Rodney walks and talks and talks and walks because it's unnerving to be hiking without the familiar weight of his scanner in his hand and his hand opens and closes from time to time, swats at invisible insects or searches for other means to keep itself occupied.]

-- so I'm just saying that venturing into a place called Dogtown with your current, ah, predisposition, doesn't exactly bode well so let me make it extremely clear that I am not fending off Hector the probably horribly mutated Bulldog if he so chooses to show up and chase you up a tree. In fact, the moment I see--

[It's about as far as he gets when the bullets suddenly start flying everywhere around them.]

rip

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[He's not entirely sure what he's expecting. Some kind of Twin Peaks, X-Files situation, sure. Aliens, likely. A mission that makes him wildly homesick, definitely.

Rodney talking enough to make him almost forget that Teyla and Ronon aren't here, 100% happening.

John simply nods and gives the occasional uh-huh, wow, really, sure, to keep the conversation going, though he has his doubts about meeting mutated Bulldogs, at least until the world around them erupts with gunfire.]

Rodney!

[He practically dives on top of him, bringing his P90 up and firing off in the direction of the bullets.

...which is everywhere.]

[energyfieldgood]

[It happens so fast Rodney barely has time to catch up on all the events. The sudden pain, the impact when John tackles him. And suddenly they're getting shot at.

Frankly, in the grand scheme of things and after vampirism and fear mutations, that is the most normal thing that has happened to him since he got here but that doesn't make it any less terrifying.]

What the hell!? What is happening!?

[His voice is shrill, panicked, and he fumbles for his handgun, kicking at the dirt to push him - them - towards anything that looks like cover.]

Where are they!? I can't see anything!

[Whoever 'they' are.]

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[A bullet whizzes by and clips John on the shoulder--thankfully not a direct hit, but a graze bad enough to cut through his jacket and send a splatter of blood against it.

Okay, that's not good.]

Dammit, we're under attack! Get behind that tree--

[It's the closest cover he can see. He grabs Rodney by the shoulder, trying to help him up, laying down cover fire behind them.]

I can't see where they're coming from!

[energyfieldgood]

You think!?

[Rodney struggles to his feet, eyes wide and utterly panicked while they make their way over to the trees. Adrenaline is pounding in his ears as the bullets spray tree bark and dirt and Sheppard's blood all around them. There's a sharp pain in his side, then his leg, then his arm - no direct hits, fortunately, but he yells even louder, firing a round towards the trees himself.]

I'm hit! I'm pretty sure I'm hit!

S3

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[It's all but impossible not to make noise when you're running from certain death, especially when you're injured, bleeding, and terrified.

John holds his P90 up but at least doesn't waste any bullets this time, staying one step behind Rodney and taking a moment every few seconds to cover his back completely.

And then just as suddenly as they showed up...they're gone.

John notices as they're already several dozen feet in the area, that they're not under fire--the only sound, in fact, are birds.

Wait. If the birds are making noise, then that means they're obviously not getting shot, so...]

...it stopped?

[He doesn't lower his weapon, not just yet, but he tries to speak, and ducks a little.

Nope. No bullets.]

...it stopped.

[energyfieldgood]

[There is something very perfidious about being in pain and not being able to make a sound. Especially for someone as vocal as Rodney. Every step hurts, every sharp stab from his wounds tries to draw a whimper from him, and he walks with gritted teeth, both hands clasped firmly over his mouth.

He's lost track time at this point, just moving forward, forward, afraid of every little noise that might be their last.

And then John talks.

He's suffering eternally and John talks - is he insane!? - and Rodney slaps him angrily, what are you doing, are you trying to get them killed--

-- before he understands.]

It stopped?

[Apparently, because they are not mowed down in a hailstorm of bullets.]

Oh thank God!! I think I sprained a vocal chord trying to keep that all in!

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

Seriously!?

[Did you just...

Did you just slap him!?

John gives him a very long look. The relief from the shots ceasing manages to subdue his wrath, for now.]

I'm very proud that you actually shut up for once.

[And he really is. The bird song seems to be getting louder. He glances off in the distance, where the blood river lies to the south. Something surges in the water--serpentine-like. In the distance, a building can barely be seen, if that's even a building.]

Well, that's not creepy. What do you think that is?

[energyfieldgood]

You're hilarious. Excuse me for struggling to maintain my composure when I am literally bleeding out from magic bullet wounds!

[Rodney glares at him, then goes back to inspecting his various wounds, letting himself sink onto an old stump to rest and lament some more.]

Seriously, what's next?

[And that's when he follows John's eyes and spots the blood river.]

Oh, come on!!

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

You're not bleeding out, Rodney. You're gonna be fine.

[He should probably take care of his various wounds as well, but the blood river is too interesting to ignore at the moment.]

It's huge. I wish we had a boat--we should get a boat, see what's on the other side.

[The creature splashes a little aggressively as it swims around.]

Just not with that thing around.

S4-S5

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[Once John has dragged Rodney sufficiently far enough away, the bird chatter stops. And so does the pressure on his head, and his instincts. There's nothing to hunt, and he can feel them quiet in his mind. He stops by a tree, setting Rodney back against the trunk.

And then his rational thought comes back to him and--oh. Oh no.

He didn't just--

--he did.

There's an awful mix of fear and dismay that sink quickly to the bottom of his gut. And guilt. So much guilt.

He could have hurt him--no, he did hurt him and it was all because of his stupid deal with the stupid entity. It's different than when he'd shot him on that one planet with the Wraith emitter--it really wasn't his fault, even though there's an awful guilt about it he never mentioned out loud, because he really could have killed him if he had been a single step to the side--because this time, it was his fault.

...besides, he doubts he would have bitten him on the neck if he hadn't been afflicted with cat instincts.]

...Rodney?

[energyfieldgood]

Unnnhhn...

[Thankfully, Rodney isn't out for long and soon stirs, muffled noises and grunts of complaint and discomfort.]

What happened...?

[The trunk is great because he doesn't actually have to sit up, he can just focus on bringing his hand up to rub at his face and pounding head and... ow, what's wrong with his neck?]

Did you crash the Jumper again?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

In a way.

How are you feeling?

[He's close but not too close, afraid that somehow the birds would start up again and he'd lose it, and maybe bash Rodney against the tree a few times to shut him up.

A part of him wonders how long he can keep the charade up, pretend it wasn't his fault he actually did bash his head in.

...and bit him.]

...sorry about that.

[energyfieldgood]

Like I hit my head. Did I hit my head?

[He groans again, hoping dearly it's not another concussion in the field. He still remembers how miserable he was the last time, let alone the frequent checks and waking him up to see if he was coherent.]

And, and I think something's wrong with my neck...

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

Yeah...you did.

[The guilt only worsens with the groan.]

That was kinda [Not just kinda] my fault. I keep forgetting that I'm a little stronger now and one thing led to another...

[He rubs his own neck unconsciously.]

...sorry about that, too.

S5

[energyfieldgood]

[To be quite honest? He's in a bit of a mood when they press on.

Getting shot, getting driven mad by birdsong, getting confronted with a river of blood, getting pounced, getting knocked out, getting bitten on the neck does that to you, he supposes. But it's not just that. He's also... worried. He can't remember John ever wanting to press on when one of their team was injured. Himself, that's another story of course, that man would try and walk off a missing leg. Or if there was no way back to the Gate, sure. But they're hardly trapped here. They could just... head back. Leave. Why don't they?

Rodney wonders if it's a side effect of whatever... had happened to him. Whatever gave him the claws and that strange cat-like behavior (and the idea to bite his neck apparently, not over that, never gonna be over that). But he knows Sheppard won't agree to heading back. And he knows he can't head back by himself. And he knows he doesn't want to leave Sheppard alone while he's being so stupidly reckless.

That is, at least, until they reach the bridge.

That bridge might be a dealbreaker because bridge really is a stretch here.]

Oh, come on.

[He stares at the silky construct and its numerous inhabitants, then over at Sheppard.]

You can't possibly want to cross here.

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[He's fine. It's fine.

Everything's fine.

They probably should have left, but he has to complete the mission. He has to, he can't stop, not now, not when they're so close to discovering the mystery of this place, the mystery building on the other side of the blood river...

And now there's a bridge.

Made of spider webs.]

Huh.

[It's also full of spiders.

He looks back slowly towards Rodney.]

Would you rather swim across?

[His voice suggests that will be the next step.]

[energyfieldgood]

No, I would not rather swim in the blood river with the sea monster!

[The utter scathing ire in his voice.]

I would rather not deal with any of this! This is insane! It's never gonna hold our weight!

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

Okay then! That means our only choice is this thing!

[He reaches out with his P90 and sends it towards the edge of the spidery bridge, towards the first tiny strand. All it does is irritate a nearby spider which scurries onto the weapon, and he tries to shake it off.]

Listen, we just went through a couple of things that make no sense, and should not have existed, either. Who's to say that a spiderweb bridge isn't gonna somehow work?

[energyfieldgood]

We just went through a couple of things badly.

[Rodney glares at the spiders, at the whole construct, at the mere idea of setting foot on it.]

What if they eat us? Or web us into a cotton candy snack for the sea monster?

T4

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[It's late, and it's honestly too dangerous to make their way back at this point--plus who wants to go through the spider bridge in the dead of night? Once John is sure that the area that they're in doesn't seem like it's overtly dangerous, he starts unpacking the two person tent he'd thought to bring just in case they did get stuck out here.

It's a nice, normal-looking clearing, at least. Safer to stay in one place, then make their way out in the morning. Or so was the plan.

Once he finishes setting up the tent and divvying up the rest of his power bars with Rodney, the sky is full of stars and he settles in with a sigh, on the foam mat he'd set out, digging out a blanket when the sky is full of stars. But somehow it's wrong and he can't quite point out why.

Huh.

That's weird.

Except it's not just in the sky, is it? It's slow at first, insidious, there before he realizes it's even happening. They're in the tent, somehow...and that's not the only thing wrong with them. Just looking at them fills him with an unfathomable dread.

There are Whispers. Things that Should Not Be Known, that Cannot Be Known, that worm their way insidiously into his mind.

They're getting louder.]

Shut up, Rodney, and go to sleep!

[energyfieldgood]

[After the day he's had, sleep really can't come soon enough. If it will come at all. It's more likely he'll lie awake all night, shifting and muttering and groaning in discomfort.

He's in pain. He's afraid. He hates it here.

Throughout the evening he munches miserably on his power bar, checking his bandages from time to time and doing absolutely nothing to help Sheppard with the tent. For a while he even watches the stars, trying to spot differences in the constellations from the Milky Way back home. Then, when their shelter is ready, he crawls under the blanket with a sigh and the promise of blocking out the world for a few hours.

At least until Sheppard's complaints startle him awake again.]

I didn't say anything. Turn off the flashlight!

[It's too bright in here. Except it's not the flashlight, it's the stars, they're here, everywhere around him and he squeezes his eyes shut with a distressed grunt, wondering if that's from the knockout earlier.]

I think you gave me a concussion.

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[There's an irritated groan. The whispers are getting worse and worse, and now it sounds like someone's laughing.]

The flashlight's off.

[...he probably did give him a concussion.]

You're fine. Now shut up, it's not funny!

[energyfieldgood]

It's clearly not!

[And it's getting brighter and brighter. And louder. Who's talking?]

And don't you tell me to shut up! I have every right to complain after the day we've had!

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[John digs out his flashlight in a huff and throws it at Rodney. It doesn't go very far, considering how close they are at the moment in the small tent, but still.]

It's off, see!?

[He rubs at his eyes, frowning, because why is it bright in here? The whispers are getting louder. There's whimpers of pain, whispery howls that are getting louder, and he mistakes that for Rodney's injuries bothering him.]

I'm sorry about that, okay? Just try to get to sleep, you'll feel better in the morning.