savetheearth | o1. → voice ; action

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o1. → voice ; action

[A new voice pops up over the network, older than the usual fair, very obviously female. Also very obviously exasperated.]

The logical side of my brain keeps telling me that this is some kind of terrible practical joke. Weird flashes, numbers suddenly assaulting my brain, an entire catalog of information that reads more like a science fiction novel than real life.

If I hadn't already tried the 'paper trick', then I would think this whole thing was crazy. Honestly, I'm still not convinced, especially not after today. Everything is too coincidental, fits a bit too neatly together to not be planned.

[She sighs.]

I should probably stop being so vague. Suddenly, without so much as a warning, I'm part of a secret organization, assaulted with memories that I can already assume aren't mine, and what's more is that one of them involves a classmate of mine. One that I'm now in a group with. Along with one of my roommates--but she has nothing to do with this, I'm just generally frustrated that I can't get away from her at home or at school.

So, to recap: Bizarre memories, conspiracy theories, and no way to get away from the person I can only assume triggered this in the first place.

This whole thing is unnerving, and honestly I don't have time for it. I start applying for graduate school in less than a month, the last thing I need to do is play with conspiracy theorists.

[Someone's had a very, very bad day.]

[Not thirty seconds later, this appears on the network.]

[Action; around LCU campus]

[Elly will be wandering around campus, in a bit of a fog. These last few days have hit her hard--school things obviously, but more importantly the fact that she could not shake of the weird feeling that she got when she met Daniel in the woods. Or the idea that she, or other her, or past her, might have shot someone. If anyone has a class with her, she'll be a ghost of her usual vocal self, lost in thought.

At times, she'll also be seen either sitting at a bench, in the cafeteria, the library; really anywhere she can have a moment of peace. One earbud in her ear, she'll appear to be studying. However, the videos coming through her computer screen aren't medical videos; it's archival footage from the network. Her screen is relatively obscured, and she does appear to be keeping at least a somewhat close eye on her surroundings, but she's also taking quite extensive notes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Elly wasn't one to pry, but as she was picking up books and papers, she couldn't help but notice the materials. Most of them were from introductory classes, and at that she smiled a bit. She remembered those days, new to the campus, bouncing around and likely making a complete fool of herself. Not that she would ever admit to that.

It wasn't until she looked up at the same time as him that she caught him. Was he staring? She blinked a few times. That was something of a weird look on his face.]

Yeah, this is a bit of a well-kept secret, not a lot of people get to this end of campus, especially not this late in the day.

[There it was again. She could have sworn he was staring. It didn't bother her per se, but it was a bit odd. Although, if anything, she was amused. It wouldn't be the first time she caught someone staring.]

Is there something on my face?

[ Banagher tenses up a little, blinking a bit of an owlish look away. ]

No! — No, you don't, sorry.

[ Because she had mentioned the courtyard itself to him, it only seemed appropriate to let his gaze rake over it. Damp concrete steps, a decent helping of benches. Well-kept slices of foliage nestled into designs molded throughout the concrete. It did look as though it'd been left to remain mostly untouched, unlike the areas of the campus that were always subject to more traffic. It graces him with a moment to gather his thoughts back up while he considers it. ]

You just looked like someone I... [ His honesty makes him pause in an awkward spot. Know? Not quite. ] ...someone I knew, that's all.

[His effort to compose himself would go unnoticed by her, collecting the remaining articles that he dropped before offering them to him.

She looked surprised just then, at his statement. That wasn't something she heard every day.]

I do? A friend?

[ Taking them back, Banagher nods, though it's not entirely convincing. Had the woman in his memories been a friend? A well-behaved 'enemy'? An innocent, locked in the crossfire?

For all he knew, she could have been all of those things. ]

Yeah, something like that.

[ He shifts his schoolwork in his arms. ]

Seeing someone who looked so much like her really surprised me, that's why... I didn't mean to interrupt you! If you were studying.

[Not as perceptive as some, again his inner turmoil went unnoticed by the redhead, who idly brushed off her scrub pants. "Something like that?" She gave a somewhat knowing smile. Ah. A girlfriend. He need not say more]

I don't doubt. And no, not really. I was just finishing up with some things.

[Walking over to her laptop, she opened it in order to turn off. Coming back to life, it refreshed everything, including one of the tabs containing a voice post, set to autoplay. The sound came through the headphones, so it was nearly impossible to make out actual words, but the pitch.

It may have been familiar to him; after all, it was someone from the Network.

Her shoulders tensing quickly, she pressed her thumb down hard on the power button, abruptly stopping it. She thought she closed that. Still, the brunette was far enough away, surely he didn't hear...]

[ Wow Elly, no. But he's a vague empath, not a mind-reader, so he lingers there even after she's stepped away from him to collect her own things. Thinking better of disturbing her further, he's got it in his head to just be on his way when her laptop screen bursts to life. He doesn't mean to look, but once he does, he can't bring himself to just walk away from her anymore. Though he can't hear exact words, the sight of the tab and the sudden spike in tension... it's what he thinks it is. And she was trying to hide it.

With good reason.

Brows knitting, he shifts on the soles of his feet, scuffing the concrete. That's his only move. ]

...I know that.

[She attempted to play off her nerves as well as best as she could, slipping her now lifeless laptop back into her bag. Had he heard? No, there was no way that he could have heard it, there was too much distance there.

So when he spoke, she seemed a bit surprised; that much was obvious from her expression.]

Hmm? Know what?

[ With the absence of the laptop as a buffer, it was just her and him and what she was trying to hide lingering in the air between them. He doesn't have to try to sense it, he just does. ]

What happens when you gain access to that thing. That feeling like a heartbeat that isn't yours, then the numbers.

[Her head felt light, her stomach sick, and the world almost felt like it fell away. He knew.

Her heart was racing.

He knew.

She took a step back, hand gripping her bag tightly. She wasn't athletic by any stretch, but she could run a good distance at the very least.]

[ In contrast, he moves no further closer or away. He does adopt a more sympathetic expression, if not an equally alarmed one. Though he's hardly one to recognize everyone from the network nowadays, there wasn't much room to deny that she was probably new. He's never quite witnessed a reaction like that, and it puts him at a bit of a loss. ]

I'm not going to do anything!

[Her fingers twitch on the the strap of her bag as she continues to watch him, like a mouse caught by a cat. She told herself to relax, to try to calm down, but she hadn't expected this, wasn't prepared.

And there she stood, waiting for him to speak, to act, to do something. Anything.]

[ For some reason, that look unnerves him, making him want to edge back in kind. Not once had anyone been frightened by the revelation, let alone in such a way that painted him in a position to do something to someone.

Wordlessly, he shifts his books into one arm and reaches into his back pocket. ]

The only way to gain access to it is to go through that yourself. An echo. [ It was his phone that he fished out. ] That's how I knew.

[Her posture eased slightly as she further examined him. He didn't seem to be an immediate threat, despite being aware of what she was. Once he held up his phone, however, she was sure. He wasn't taking her in, like she had already been warned about by her professor--although he was in many ways, paranoid beyond what was truly healthy.

She nods.]

Then you too..?

[Even if he couldn't feel it, he could certainly see the tension leaving her. She was still on guard, obviously, but with the real danger as she saw it over, she could at least breathe.]

[ And on the other end of the spectrum, he still looks troubled, albeit a little less put on the spot. Focusing on his phone for a second, he taps in a long sequence of numbers with an easy that only comes from familiarity. ]

Seven months ago.

[ He turns his phone's screen towards her. It, too, should look familiar. ]

[That cinched it for her, seeing his cell phone screen. It was the same thing she saw. She relaxed a bit, letting out the breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding onto for so long.]

I'm sorry. You really threw me for a loop there. I thought...

[ Pulling his phone back, demonstration over, he winds down too. While he couldn't predict if she'd turn and bolt, lash out, or otherwise, at least he'd gotten his point across somewhat effectively. ]

No, don't worry about it. I should have been more careful about it, myself.

[She runs a hand through the front of her hair, biting on the inside of her lip. She wasn't expecting a run-in like this, certainly, and this probably wasn't a good place to talk.]

Are you heading anywhere? I have a few questions, but this probably isn't the best place.

[Secluded or not, she wasn't a fan of speaking about this business where others could hear.]

I'm free for a while, yeah. [ He smiles haplessly. ] I wasn't getting much done here anyway. I don't like all the police.

[ Though it's an innocent enough statement, there's inflection enough to give him away: the police were far, far more than they seemed. ]

Where do you want to go?

[She looked around. While the police presence around here was fairly low, it still didn't feel comfortable talking out in the open like this, even in somewhat vague terms. Besides, she had questions she was dying to have answered, and now that the initial shock was gone, she felt a little more comfortable.]

Somewhere that's not here. Somewhere where we can talk. The library maybe? I could get a study room.

That's probably our best bet for now.

[ Though he couldn't say he felt personally targeted at all over the past few weeks, he can't say he's entirely off his guard, even now. No matter how secluded. Turning on his heel, he makes to move back up the steps. However, he stays close enough to where he can lower his voice and still be heard. ]

I don't know what I can answer for you, but I'll try my best.

Anything you can tell me would be helpful.

[Heading over to the library, Elly left Banagher to sign out a study room. She almost expected him to not be there when she returned, keycard in hand, ready to go.]

[ True to his word, he's right there waiting by the time she shows up with the keycard. Once they enter and the door closes securely behind them, he slides his books and slightly-rumpled papers onto the table inside. ]

I'm guessing you probably haven't had your number very long, right?

[As soon as the door clicked shut, her composure changed. It was painfully obvious that the front she had been keeping while they moved around campus was exhausting, and, as she sat, her posture was a lot more loose, more natural.]

A little less than a week. I've been trying to do as much reading as I could. In between classes, after studying. I even managed to pull an all-nighter archive diving.

[She ran a hand through the front of her hair, letting her elbow rest on the table.]

So has everything the news been feeding people about "eco-terrorists" been a lie? I'm assuming that's you gu--us that they're talking about.

[ Just looking at her makes him feel exhausted. Glancing a flinch off of her expression, he eventually takes a seat too. Though he remains fairly neutral, it's easy to pick up on his inability to really stay closed off. ]

It's a lot to take in. I've had all this time, and some of it still sounds too incredible to believe, when I try to explain it.

[ Leaning backwards, he looks down, pressing one of his thumbs into his opposite palm. ]

The news tried to gloss over it at first. When nothing really big or dangerous happened. Like these little creatures that appeared all over, making normal animals look weird. Things that were easy to just write off, if you weren't looking. But it's like both sides are trying to push back without being noticed now, only it's impossible. We're...

[ ...just not equipped for stealth at the moment; that required time, knowledge, and discipline. He leaves that sentence to hang, before moving on. ]

I don't know what the news is trying to do, but it's a lie. They're trying to cover up how big this is getting, and who's involved. Our — enemy. [ A face. ] Our enemy, they have resources on the inside like that. The news, the police, even the military.

Magic powers, past lives, monsters. You'll have to forgive me if I still feel like this is a bit unbelievable, even after everything I've watched and read.

[She had a suspicion that that was what went on behind the scenes, and to say the least it was troublesome. Not unheard of, but it did make things a bit harder.]

I didn't realize it went that far. And our enemy? I've seen a lot of things thrown around. ThunderCorp seems to be the front runner, but it almost seems like too big of a scope to be just one organization, in my opinion at least. I could be entirely off-base here. But if the police and the media are involved, especially if there's some kind military involvement like you say, I think it would be silly to think it's just them.

oh damn I thought I tagged this MY BAD

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