luministi | ❧ Flashback

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❧ Flashback

[After getting dug out, Nathan makes his way over to the general store, limping as he walks. He looks quite the sight with cuts, scrapes, and gashes all over his body (the worst of it is on his legs), and his suit is scorched, tattered, and just plain non-existent around his calves. He's even missing a shoe and looks a bit thinner than he was the last time he was there. But for a man who was crushed under so much debris, he doesn't seem in pain or anything; just inconvenienced.

Once he's inside the general store, he walks over to the vid screen, activating it so he can contact everyone's CAT devices and all of the other vidscreens around town. When he speaks, he doesn't sound strained, not like he has in any of his other appearances in the town and spacestation.]

I hope everyone can hear me and none of you were caught in that blast. I'm sorry it even happened, but--[He falls silent, his eyebrows knitting in concern.] There is much I need to tell you now that I'm here.

Please, meet me in the White Rabbit pub in half an hour. All of you. It's time you had some answers.

[The video transmission ends.]

Plot Details: Flashback

something else was too

This plot will only last a week

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That's not an answer. [see this face? this is a face that says you'd better let her "handle" all of it]

Then we'll start with those. [she nods, glad to have that decided, at least. she might be a bit too ready to jump on the first lead she can get] Are those on the machi--the computers?

[she shakes her head at that] I'm not certain what you mean. Mr Ichijou worked that much out himself.

It did annoy him at first, yes. But after the annoyance passed, he decided to have fun with it and used your emotions against you. And there's no way he'd cooperate with anyone, not while he still has one person working for him. Or afraid of what will happen to him, I'm not sure. Resarci is a difficult man to read.

Ichijou...[Nathan leans forward, lowering his voice.] When this is over, I won't be able to give you such control that you're asking, but if you'd like to remain here, I may be able to arrange something.

As far as Lab 3 goes...you actually weren't protecting the pictures. [He looks away for a second.] I was protecting you and the others.

The technology was developed hundreds of years ago in order to study creatures from other universes in environments safe for both parties. They'd study them for a bit then send them home. However, like any well-intentioned technology, use of it was soon perverted, stolen, and sold so anyone who wanted to dabble in "studies" could do so. Use of the interdimensional studies technology now is only allowed under extremely strict circumstances that the government and otherworlder rights activists keep an eye on, otherwise, it's highly illegal and severely punishable if one is caught using it.

I got involved simply because I've been trying to find this man for years. The IST hadn't really been in use for some time as there have been other side effects of its use that directly impact us, plus the morality issues alone have turned countless people off it. Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way. The man who's done this, for example, stole some of the unused IST units and ran off, bouncing between different universes until he finally settled in this one. When this whole thing began for you and your friends, I was still trying to find him. It was only thanks to people like Audrey and her brother that I was able to find this place, but I had to stay hidden.

We both know how well that went. [He sighs.] I exposed myself here too much and not long after I sent one last person home, I was found and kidnapped. [He sounds rather insulted by this point.] I wasn't able to stop him doing what he's now done to you all...and for that, I'm sorry.

[He shifts a bit in his seat when she mentions anchors.] I can't say one way or the other about mine. The less we talk about it, the better we'll all be. As for the 'man in black', as you call him, I've always thought his might be a Resarci.

But what keeps you here is far, far different. The technology used to bring you here must be shut down and all materials must be destroyed. However, as simple as that sounds, there are catches. If you or anyone else destroys it, you in turn will also be destroyed. And there won't be any coming back from that. You will be dead in this universe as well as your own. I can destroy what keeps you here, however since I'm of the same universe.

Yes, it is. I can only tell you what I know, and I don't know his reasons. I can guess, but do you want a supposition, or do you want the actual truth?

They might be in the lab's database. Caligin might have them in his office.

I mean 'the truth' he was talking to me about. Anyway, Ichijou...isn't exactly right, but he isn't wrong either. The photos are what keep you here and I destroyed those to send you home, but there is something else as well. It never occurred to me until some of you came back for a third time. There's an additional thing keeping you here.

Tell me, Sophie. How familiar are you with cameras?

You know what? I'm fine with that outcome. I'd be fine with nearly anything at all, as long as I don't have to go back to where I came from. If that's mandatory, you may as well just end my life with your own hands.

[On that note, he seems to be in higher spirits. Basically his number-one fear when it came to Nathan was that he'd eventually force EVERYONE to go back to their proper times and places. He rolls his eyes and waves his hand.]

Whatever! Protecting them, protecting us from them, same thing. I'm more interested in knowing if those photos were the really important thing in that room than being pedantic.

Mister Thief acted like it was the scandal of the god damn century when I found out that the fancy stuff along the walls in there didn't actually do anything. But I knew that you wouldn't just tell me to stay out of there for the hell of it.

[she snaps] I want both! One before the other, if that's the best you can do.

You mean in the Mayor's House? [surprised]

[but that question brings her up short, and she looks suddenly uncomfortable] Cameras create pictures of the things you point them at, and they have tiny lights on them.

[which is basically Sophie parroting what Ichijou said to her. technology is still a bit much for her]

[A flash of a grin-] Apologies, but I haven't gotten around to asking the man in black's name yet. I'm sure you have a name to put to the almost-face.

[But her face at once returns to the sombreness that his statement deserves. It's a good thing that they haven't accidentally destroyed these materials, or been led into it by the man in black. But then, he does want them alive, doesn't he.]

I'm sorry, Mister Nathan. This puts a huge burden on you, to save all of us one piece at a time.

But, what is it all for? To bring all of us from all across time and space, literally, to keep us alive but unhappy in this little fishbowl... It's been proven that our minds can be messed with to the point that we don't even remember being anywhere else than here. What does the man in black gain from doing it this way?

An anchor? [What is that even supposed to mean? Jamie shakes his head, but something about the man in the hat catches his attention.]

Hey, wait...that man. Is he the one behind all of this?

[Hawk nods, slowly. It's not an unfamiliar situation, really- someone gets power that that they think puts them above everyone else and abuses it. He hopes that they can do something about it.]

In other words, neither of you are from here originally. And you're… law enforcement?

[He nods again, pressing his lips together.] …well. Thank you for trying, all the same. And now… what can we do to stop him from keeping us here permanently?

[Nathan's reaction manages to subdue Kon. He laughs nervously, watching the recording before he presses his lips together. So THAT'S why all the townspeople were in a frenzy...]

So the man in the video manipulated Caligan to get the original off-worlders here, right? [If he sounds like he's unsure, it's because it's a lot for him to take in. He didn't like being an experiment of an experiment.] And of those guys, the ones that were successful... are the ones who're still here?

Were our worlds giant experiments too?

As I can only do one, then that is the best I can do.

And no, I don't mean the house, though it is a possibility. All of the places important to Caligin could possibly have it.

[Yeah...he can kinda tell that from the look on her face.] Well, the way some of the earliest cameras used to work was: to take a picture, you'd expose a piece of film in the camera and thus, you'd take a picture of what was in front of the lens. That's what else we need to destroy: the film the pictures were developed from. They should be in the same place.

Oh, I do. His name is Ferran.

It isn't as big of a burden as you think. It's my job and I'm more than happy to do it.

But what he gains from it all.... [He frowns.] Only he knows for sure. Why anyone has done this in the past has always been different. But think about it for a moment. If he didn't want you to remember at all, he could have made it so, but it's only been temporary. Why do you think the things he does never last?

I am. I can even show you my badge if you don't believe me.

[He leans forward in his seat] We need to find the materials he used to bring you here. They have to be kept in the same area as those brought into this universe, or else the experiment won't work. Once they're found, I need to destroy them in order to send you home once and for all.

[Flynn taps his fingers on the arm of his chair, wearing a somewhat cynically baffled expression as he tries to listen in on the various conversations. Honestly, he's not getting a lot of it -- this is all way, way over his head, just like most of Luministi's insanity!

But he's not one to be deterred!

Latching onto a comment from one of the last snatches of conversation, he leans forward to point a purposeful finger at Nathan.]

Anchors. You know, correct me if I'm wrong, but those are for boats. Generally. From my experience, pairing a person with an anchor generally leads to drowning.

[Nathan laughs a little.] That is true in that sense, Flynn. But anchors for us are...a bit different. To go with the boat metaphor, we are the boats. You, me, the man behind this. You and your friends here are automatically anchored here thanks to the technology used to bring you here in the first place. The man who brought you here, named Ferran, and myself...we're from the same universe, but it isn't this one. So we need to find an anchor here to keep us here. The state of one's anchor affects how well we can interact in this universe, and if one doesn't have one or the anchor is injured or destroyed, it takes a lot of personal energy just to stay here for long.

[Technology, freaky witch-magic, tomato, tamahto, blah blah blah blahblah. He gets the gist, though. More or less. With a few flawed assumptions about the world thrown in to make it all work in his head.]

So let me get this straight.

[Flynn holds his palms parallel to one another over one side of the table, then switches them to over another part of the table, concentrating on the motion.]

The only thing between us... and here... is our anchor.

[He glances at Nathan, checking to see if he's got this right so far.]

We smash the anchor, we all go home! Oh, no -- better still -- we smash the anchor for our charming kidnapper and never hear from him again. Am I getting this right so far?

Well, remember what I said about us being from different universes? In order for us to stay in this one, something has to keep us grounded or we'll just be pulled back to our original ones. Your friends and yourself have been given an automatic anchor upon your arrival here because of the method in which you were taken. What's keeping you here are the materials that man used to bring you all here.

And yes, that man is responsible for everything. His name is Ferran. We're from the same universe, the one that developed the technology that's been used against you. We both need anchors to keep us here or else we have to expend a huge amount of energy to even come here or interact with those in this universe.

[He nods] Mostly. There's a catch with this technology, though. If you destroy your own anchor, in this case, the materials related to the technology used to bring you here, you will die. You won't come back as there is nothing that exists to bring you back--and you'll cease to exist in your own universe. Someone who isn't a part of it must destroy it.

Which gives you two options: myself, and Ferran. And Ferran isn't likely to destroy what he created.

And destroying his anchor will only inconvenience him, as it would me if mine were destroyed. He'll find another anchor and come back in full force. He has to be caught and the technology must be destroyed in order to truly stop him.

So we can't even hold his anchor at sword point...

[Flynn makes a small face -- it's not like it would have been the strangest thing he's ever done after all the other hijinks going on in this weird little fake-town.]

How, exactly, do we go about catching your buddy, then? Blow up a building and don't dig him out?

[He quirks one eyebrow, not exactly convinced of that one.]

[Nathan nods, taking a drink from his glass.] That man is called Ferran. Some of you refer to him as the "Man in Black", which makes sense since he likes to wear a hell of a lot of black. And yes, of everyone still here, they--and yourself--are the successful ones.

[His expression darkens as he folds his hands in front him. Conner's the first to bring this up, and in truth...Nathan hasn't mentioned it yet because he hasn't wanted to worry everyone else.] No, your worlds are not part of the experiment--but they're slowly becoming so. This technology isn't supposed to be used all the time. The constant use for the past couple years have...created small bleeds. So far, it's only showing here, as this is the epicenter of it all. You may have noticed strange buildings and structures around the town and the spacestation. Those haven't been Ferran's doing. They've come here on their own.

That's why he must be stopped. Not just to send you all home, but to prevent this universe from colliding with every single one it's connected with.

[Nathan smiles at the thought of trapping Ferran under a blown up building.] As satisfying as that would be, no, we don't do that.

Instead, we need to find the technology and the materials used. They have to be on this spacestation somewhere. This is a laboratory, first and foremost, and there have to be labs that have been moved and hidden. We need to find the schematics to this place first, and then we can move from there. Once we find the technology and threaten that? Then we should be able to draw him out.

And then we drop a building on him.

[Flynn grins -- he's joking. Really. Mostly. As much as he'd like to flatten the man who brought them all here, it'd be so much more satisfying to punch him in the face instead.

He switches back to a puzzled expression the next moment and gestures vaguely.]

Are you sure about that? With all of us here, shouldn't we have, I dunno, stumbled into it by now? With everything else we've looked for, you'd think we would have passed by all the secret labs there are to find.

[Nathan actually laughs at that. It's been a while since he's truly been able to...]

I am definitely sure. Caligin himself even told me there were more. But like the way Lab #3 was hidden before, the other lab has been hidden as well--but I don't know how well it has been, if it's been moved, or anything. Ferran has a ridiculous amount of control here, so we'll have to distract him.

[Flynn's expression turns sly, and it's easy to see that he's continuing the joking thought of smashing Ferran with a nearby structure as a "distraction". In the end he chooses not to voice it aloud, but instead leans back in his chair and frowns as he thinks about it.

He knows already that it won't take anything to convince him to help with anything that can distract Ferran. Flynn just needs to know what to do.]

Ah, and how do we do that?

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❧ Flashback

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