𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚡 𝙼𝚘𝚍𝚜 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
synfluxmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synflux2026-01-31 04:02 pm
synfluxmods) wrote in synflux2026-01-31 04:02 pm
Entry tags:
STRANGER FROM THE RIFT: PART 2
▷ STRANGER FROM THE RIFT: PART 2
▶ 001. A Thing About Machines.
After an eventful start to the New Year, everyone hopes for a moment to catch their breath and relax. However, it appears that rest and relaxation isn't in the cards for the agents of LILITH. The technical issues that caused the information leak at the end of the month not only continue but seem to be getting worse on base.
Everyone is busy trying to respond to emergencies and inconveniences. Sometimes the indoor heating system randomly turns off turning the base into a giant walk-in refrigerator overnight but on other days, it gets cranked up to turn the base into a massive sauna. The elevators constantly malfunction so they suddenly drop, rise rapidly, or stop all together with people still inside them. It's so frequent, everyone is advised to use the stairs to get around the base but even then, the lights flicker in hallways and even worse, the electronic locks and opening mechanisms on the doors keep glitching.
The door malfunctions are especially inconvenient. The Outsiders will have to struggle to maintain their privacy because the doors are prone to randomly opening throughout the day and night, giving everyone full views inside and allowing anyone to walk in and out.
The malfunctions aren't just limited to the building itself. Hummingbird drones malfunction. They imprint on random people, suddenly fall from the sky, and some of them even become hostile. While they are small and can't cause much harm, no one really wants to get hit in the face by a small ball of metal going at high speed. Even the cleaning and service robots around base are glitching. They make messes around the base or enter random rooms to rearrange things. LILITH technicians and engineers suggest turning them off but somehow and for some reason, everything turns back on randomly.
Everything electrical seems to be malfunctioning in some way or another and the Outsiders themselves are no exception. Those with style upgrades and cybernetic enhancements may also experience glitching. Even those who have opted out of these upgrades and improvements aren't completely spared because everyone has received some baseline tech upgrades. Outsiders may experience eye fatigue and blurred or glitchy vision in the eye with their implant. The payment chip in their wrists may also glitch. For those who are unfortunate, payments will be declined and all of their savings may disappear but for those much more fortunate, they may suddenly find themselves striking rich. You probably shouldn't touch any money that appears from unknown sources but who is going to stop you?
Everyone is busy trying to respond to emergencies and inconveniences. Sometimes the indoor heating system randomly turns off turning the base into a giant walk-in refrigerator overnight but on other days, it gets cranked up to turn the base into a massive sauna. The elevators constantly malfunction so they suddenly drop, rise rapidly, or stop all together with people still inside them. It's so frequent, everyone is advised to use the stairs to get around the base but even then, the lights flicker in hallways and even worse, the electronic locks and opening mechanisms on the doors keep glitching.
The door malfunctions are especially inconvenient. The Outsiders will have to struggle to maintain their privacy because the doors are prone to randomly opening throughout the day and night, giving everyone full views inside and allowing anyone to walk in and out.
The malfunctions aren't just limited to the building itself. Hummingbird drones malfunction. They imprint on random people, suddenly fall from the sky, and some of them even become hostile. While they are small and can't cause much harm, no one really wants to get hit in the face by a small ball of metal going at high speed. Even the cleaning and service robots around base are glitching. They make messes around the base or enter random rooms to rearrange things. LILITH technicians and engineers suggest turning them off but somehow and for some reason, everything turns back on randomly.
Everything electrical seems to be malfunctioning in some way or another and the Outsiders themselves are no exception. Those with style upgrades and cybernetic enhancements may also experience glitching. Even those who have opted out of these upgrades and improvements aren't completely spared because everyone has received some baseline tech upgrades. Outsiders may experience eye fatigue and blurred or glitchy vision in the eye with their implant. The payment chip in their wrists may also glitch. For those who are unfortunate, payments will be declined and all of their savings may disappear but for those much more fortunate, they may suddenly find themselves striking rich. You probably shouldn't touch any money that appears from unknown sources but who is going to stop you?
▶ 002. The Stranger from the Rift.
Despite everything going on, their jobs must resume. The base is abuzz with news about the mysterious stranger that was recovered from Fuji. There are tests that need to be done and everyone is hopeful they'll get answers. Who is he? Where is he from? And what can they learn?
The stranger from the rift is impossible to understand. They've managed to confirm he is speaking Old Norse but all of it is mixed with what seems to be complete and utter nonsense. They believe this is a result of being subjected to extremely high levels of Rift energy. It’s so much so, that LILITH can’t track outside rift energy on base, and triangulating future Kaiju attacks is becoming more and more difficult, even for LILITH branches outside of Neo-Tokyo. The systems are just too glitchy. They theorize he came from the very same type of Rifts that kaiju emerge from but can't understand how he survived. Those levels are usually enough to kill or totally corrupt most humans. While this stranger appears to be physically whole, his mind appears fractured.
All of this is complicated by the fact that he has been so saturated by the Rift, he literally emits it. He's practically a radioactive man and getting too close to him results in interviewers feeling sick from rift poisoning. Medical robots are used to treat him to minimize exposure. However, due to the technical issues on base, the robots keep failing. He also attacks the robots, causing damage to them and himself. They completely shut down around him and it forces LILITH's operatives to treat him in person.
Fortunately, thanks to efforts over the winter season, the LILITH suits have been upgraded to protect wearers much better than before. Still, it is not advised to spend too much time around him because while they can protect from Rift poisoning, they cannot protect the normal researchers and doctors from his physical attacks.
Researchers and doctors get little information from him. They learn that he was condemned to death for killing his father, and that he escaped during his execution. He’s a weapons master, as evidenced by the number of weapons, and a warrior of some renown. When idle, he often repeats the name Blòm, over and over again, and the doctors have been able to figure out that she was a lover of some sort. Thanks to the investigations from the outsiders, they were able to piece together a good big about this man, but more importantly – that the rift has infected him. He can heal from any injury, and his blood is radioactive. It’s all confounding them, as clearly he’s human, and they want to help… but what can they do?
In a last ditch effort to get information, the Outsiders will be invited to give it a shot. Unlike the normal researchers, the Outsiders have combat experience and can defend themselves. They are told to suit up and try to get more information from him. He may just be one man but Outsiders will find that he is a handful. He appears to be skilled in combat, strong, quick, and unpredictable. While he is manageable, the Outsiders are urged to avoid harming him.
While they will be protected by their suits, the technical issues plaguing the base will continue to cause problems during interrogation: Outsiders will experience vision problems and headaches if they spend too long with him. After they finish, they will have to report their findings and conditions to LILITH researchers and health experts.
The stranger from the rift is impossible to understand. They've managed to confirm he is speaking Old Norse but all of it is mixed with what seems to be complete and utter nonsense. They believe this is a result of being subjected to extremely high levels of Rift energy. It’s so much so, that LILITH can’t track outside rift energy on base, and triangulating future Kaiju attacks is becoming more and more difficult, even for LILITH branches outside of Neo-Tokyo. The systems are just too glitchy. They theorize he came from the very same type of Rifts that kaiju emerge from but can't understand how he survived. Those levels are usually enough to kill or totally corrupt most humans. While this stranger appears to be physically whole, his mind appears fractured.
All of this is complicated by the fact that he has been so saturated by the Rift, he literally emits it. He's practically a radioactive man and getting too close to him results in interviewers feeling sick from rift poisoning. Medical robots are used to treat him to minimize exposure. However, due to the technical issues on base, the robots keep failing. He also attacks the robots, causing damage to them and himself. They completely shut down around him and it forces LILITH's operatives to treat him in person.
Fortunately, thanks to efforts over the winter season, the LILITH suits have been upgraded to protect wearers much better than before. Still, it is not advised to spend too much time around him because while they can protect from Rift poisoning, they cannot protect the normal researchers and doctors from his physical attacks.
Researchers and doctors get little information from him. They learn that he was condemned to death for killing his father, and that he escaped during his execution. He’s a weapons master, as evidenced by the number of weapons, and a warrior of some renown. When idle, he often repeats the name Blòm, over and over again, and the doctors have been able to figure out that she was a lover of some sort. Thanks to the investigations from the outsiders, they were able to piece together a good big about this man, but more importantly – that the rift has infected him. He can heal from any injury, and his blood is radioactive. It’s all confounding them, as clearly he’s human, and they want to help… but what can they do?
In a last ditch effort to get information, the Outsiders will be invited to give it a shot. Unlike the normal researchers, the Outsiders have combat experience and can defend themselves. They are told to suit up and try to get more information from him. He may just be one man but Outsiders will find that he is a handful. He appears to be skilled in combat, strong, quick, and unpredictable. While he is manageable, the Outsiders are urged to avoid harming him.
While they will be protected by their suits, the technical issues plaguing the base will continue to cause problems during interrogation: Outsiders will experience vision problems and headaches if they spend too long with him. After they finish, they will have to report their findings and conditions to LILITH researchers and health experts.
▶ 003. Containment Breech.
About a week into February, Outsiders will awaken in the middle of the night to the base in a state of chaos. Alarms and sirens go off and everyone is ordered to search the base because a subject has escaped. It won't take long to learn who (or rather, who) the subject in question is: Bjorn.
It appears that in the middle of the night, the quarters he was contained in experienced a total system failure. He was able to escape containment, disarm the guards, and leave the base. Using broken footage from cameras and security logs, they estimate he's been gone for about three hours. They are optimistic that he couldn't have gotten far in the city but soon, the sun rises and morning comes to the city, and he is nowhere to be found.
Björn is missing in Neo Tokyo. They aren't lacking clues either. Wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of clues that he was around. Clothes and grocery stores are broken into in an attempt to gain supplies. Various public security officers and gangs around the city report getting into fights with a wild man. In particular, newly spliced individuals are attacked at a higher rate – particularly those who have spliced with prey animals, such as deer, rabbits, and livestock. Using CCTV cameras and witness reports, Outsiders learn he has been all over the city. He seems to be traveling through subway tunnels and sewers while also hiding out in abandoned buildings aboveground.
Wherever he goes, trouble follows. Cars malfunction, lights explode, cameras shut off, and it quickly becomes obvious that Bjorn was the source of all of the glitches and tech problems on base. Now that he is out, the problems have spread throughout the city. Outsiders will be asked to either help mitigate the damage, or help LILITH in tracking him down. Helping to direct traffic around affected areas, keep the peace around destroyed public works, or even calm down locals, it’s all necessary. In addition, looking for clues either aboveground or in the sewer system will be necessary, especially because it’s becoming more and more clear: he poses a clear and present danger.
It appears that in the middle of the night, the quarters he was contained in experienced a total system failure. He was able to escape containment, disarm the guards, and leave the base. Using broken footage from cameras and security logs, they estimate he's been gone for about three hours. They are optimistic that he couldn't have gotten far in the city but soon, the sun rises and morning comes to the city, and he is nowhere to be found.
Björn is missing in Neo Tokyo. They aren't lacking clues either. Wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of clues that he was around. Clothes and grocery stores are broken into in an attempt to gain supplies. Various public security officers and gangs around the city report getting into fights with a wild man. In particular, newly spliced individuals are attacked at a higher rate – particularly those who have spliced with prey animals, such as deer, rabbits, and livestock. Using CCTV cameras and witness reports, Outsiders learn he has been all over the city. He seems to be traveling through subway tunnels and sewers while also hiding out in abandoned buildings aboveground.
Wherever he goes, trouble follows. Cars malfunction, lights explode, cameras shut off, and it quickly becomes obvious that Bjorn was the source of all of the glitches and tech problems on base. Now that he is out, the problems have spread throughout the city. Outsiders will be asked to either help mitigate the damage, or help LILITH in tracking him down. Helping to direct traffic around affected areas, keep the peace around destroyed public works, or even calm down locals, it’s all necessary. In addition, looking for clues either aboveground or in the sewer system will be necessary, especially because it’s becoming more and more clear: he poses a clear and present danger.
▶ 004. Dream of Electronic Kaiju.
As the city devolves into chaos, reports of a new phenomenon begin to emerge. Residents begin to report problems with their implants. Their ocular implants keep glitching, resulting in blurred vision and seeing strange visions. They also begin to report headaches, hearing voices, and having strange dreams.
It isn't just the civilians reporting these strange issues. Outsiders will also begin to experience some of the same symptoms.
The implants start glitching when you’re looking at another outsider, you might see a warped and corrupted version of them. Maybe it’s them if they remain in Neo-Tokyo for decades, or maybe it’s a vision of their eventual future back home. It can be a good potential future, or a bad one, it seems that the AI system makes up all kinds of hallucinations about the outsiders, and it can be invented wholecloth, or it can be something that will happen. The different visions of others can be difficult to handle, especially in large groups of people, where Outisders’ implants will start to go haywire, maybe even combining or corrupting between different people. Maybe fates will be swapped, maybe you’ll see your loved one subjected to your own fate, but with the way the edges of your vision seem to darken, and the way you can see small pixelated glitches, it’s still not real. That doesn’t make it any easier to look at.
Eventually, the implants start to make stronger hallucinations. You might pour a drink into a cup that doesn’t exist, leading soda to splash all over the place. Maybe you put your hand down on a countertop that’s actually a burner. Pick up a book that doesn’t exist, or walk down a hallway that turns out to be a solid wall. Maybe you turn into your room, but it’s the wrong wing of the dormitories, or you turn the shower to hot, but it’s ice cold. That cute dog on the street? That’s a Timonsuta that escaped the local kaiju cafe, and it’s angry. Be careful, because the implants are starting to make it difficult to differentiate fact from fiction, and the longer it goes on, the more Outsiders will have to rely on their memories to remember how to get around.
The worst, though, comes at night. Visions play through your mind, thanks to your glitchy implants. Visions of a future for your world that looks… a lot like this one. Destruction, death. Kaiju attacks, people running in fear. A vision of your world in danger, falling to the same apocalypse that you’ve all been fighting to stop. Maybe you see loved ones from home, who you thought were safe… but are they? Kaiju of all kinds rip through worlds, homes, and people. You can try to force yourself awake from this nightmare, but the lingering vision of watching it all burn doesn’t dispel itself quite so easily.
It isn't just the civilians reporting these strange issues. Outsiders will also begin to experience some of the same symptoms.
The implants start glitching when you’re looking at another outsider, you might see a warped and corrupted version of them. Maybe it’s them if they remain in Neo-Tokyo for decades, or maybe it’s a vision of their eventual future back home. It can be a good potential future, or a bad one, it seems that the AI system makes up all kinds of hallucinations about the outsiders, and it can be invented wholecloth, or it can be something that will happen. The different visions of others can be difficult to handle, especially in large groups of people, where Outisders’ implants will start to go haywire, maybe even combining or corrupting between different people. Maybe fates will be swapped, maybe you’ll see your loved one subjected to your own fate, but with the way the edges of your vision seem to darken, and the way you can see small pixelated glitches, it’s still not real. That doesn’t make it any easier to look at.
Eventually, the implants start to make stronger hallucinations. You might pour a drink into a cup that doesn’t exist, leading soda to splash all over the place. Maybe you put your hand down on a countertop that’s actually a burner. Pick up a book that doesn’t exist, or walk down a hallway that turns out to be a solid wall. Maybe you turn into your room, but it’s the wrong wing of the dormitories, or you turn the shower to hot, but it’s ice cold. That cute dog on the street? That’s a Timonsuta that escaped the local kaiju cafe, and it’s angry. Be careful, because the implants are starting to make it difficult to differentiate fact from fiction, and the longer it goes on, the more Outsiders will have to rely on their memories to remember how to get around.
The worst, though, comes at night. Visions play through your mind, thanks to your glitchy implants. Visions of a future for your world that looks… a lot like this one. Destruction, death. Kaiju attacks, people running in fear. A vision of your world in danger, falling to the same apocalypse that you’ve all been fighting to stop. Maybe you see loved ones from home, who you thought were safe… but are they? Kaiju of all kinds rip through worlds, homes, and people. You can try to force yourself awake from this nightmare, but the lingering vision of watching it all burn doesn’t dispel itself quite so easily.
▶ 005. A Bounty for You.
It doesn't take long for word to get out on the streets. However, the average person still does not grasp what has truly happened. Most people are aware that LILITH has lost something from the base but given the reports of a strange man, everyone assumes it is just a high criminal of some sort. Some even say it might be a terrorist. Whoever it is, it is clear they are a threat to public security and while many are fearful, there are always those who will use disaster to their advantage.
Some of the gangs in Neo Tokyo put out a bounty on the mysterious man. Their plan is to capture him and force LILITH to pay a ransom to get him back. They’re painfully aware of the strength that LILITH has had lately thanks to the hard work of the Outsiders, and they want a piece of it for themselves, the criminal underworld consistently bubbling with the want to be stronger.
It doesn’t stop at the usual, gangs of people harassing regular citizens and demanding that they give over items or valuables. Outsiders might walk through the streets and hear the odd sound of a chimera attacking someone, or feel a knife pressed to their back if a misfortunate villain tries their luck. Rival gangs break out into fights on the streets, an all out civil war between some of the more dominant groups, each shouting to the other that they have the missing man, and they’ll get their rewards.
Do they actually have him? It’s hard to say. There are rumours of him being seen here and there, though many of them don’t lead to anything real. Some of the captured prisoners might be able to be coerced into sharing what they know, whispers of sightings and particular bosses having a new guest in their homes, but there’s rarely anything conclusive.
Fear is possessing Neo Tokyo, and they turn to their Angels to help them.
Some of the gangs in Neo Tokyo put out a bounty on the mysterious man. Their plan is to capture him and force LILITH to pay a ransom to get him back. They’re painfully aware of the strength that LILITH has had lately thanks to the hard work of the Outsiders, and they want a piece of it for themselves, the criminal underworld consistently bubbling with the want to be stronger.
It doesn’t stop at the usual, gangs of people harassing regular citizens and demanding that they give over items or valuables. Outsiders might walk through the streets and hear the odd sound of a chimera attacking someone, or feel a knife pressed to their back if a misfortunate villain tries their luck. Rival gangs break out into fights on the streets, an all out civil war between some of the more dominant groups, each shouting to the other that they have the missing man, and they’ll get their rewards.
Do they actually have him? It’s hard to say. There are rumours of him being seen here and there, though many of them don’t lead to anything real. Some of the captured prisoners might be able to be coerced into sharing what they know, whispers of sightings and particular bosses having a new guest in their homes, but there’s rarely anything conclusive.
Fear is possessing Neo Tokyo, and they turn to their Angels to help them.
▶ 006. AFTERWORD.
Welcome to our February event! Just as with January, this event is relevant to the overarching plot. We hope you enjoy it!
All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards February AC.
All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards February AC.
EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)
1. A THING ABOUT MACHINES: Malfunctions begin to take over the base in Neo Tokyo, causing inconveniences and problems. Tech upgrades go haywire and cause problems.
2. THE STRANGER FROM THE RIFT: LILITH is able to share what little information they've gleaned about the stranger, but ask the Outsiders to fight him to try and find out more. Too much exposure causes significant issues.
3. CONTAINMENT BREACH: The Rift stranger esapes, and Outsiders are tasked with locating him and bringing him back as he causes havoc around the city.
4. DREAM OF ELECTRONIC KAIJU: Implants begin to glitch, and Outsiders can begin to suffer from significant hallucinations of disaster and doom.
5. A BOUNTY FOR YOU: The criminal gangs in Neo Tokyo get involved in the race to find the stranger and randsom him to LILITH for a prize, causing major issues for civillians in Neo Tokyo.
no subject
o1. Mechanical Problems
o2. Glitch the System
o3. King's Ransom (TEXT OPTION)
o4. Extortion Games
Wildcard!
o4 but i'm gonna add a lil of ... o2 too hehe
This guy.
Meaning he's leaning against the bar top with one arm, gaze lazy as it flickers around the crowd, nose only slightly wrinkled against the assault of Silco's cigar. His fingers beat a staccato against wood, his expression for the most part blank. When Silco speaks he lifts it to his friend and then it twitches for a moment, the blood and the mess of his hair and the absence, but then Geto smothers that too, letting his voice drawl. )
Silco-san, you know I have an appreciation of your sharp mind. ( He looks away, back, Silco is himself again. ) Tell me.
YIPPEEEEEEEEE
Either we intimidate them into turning away from this foolish endeavor... or we fool them into paying the bounty on nothing.
[ A twitch of a smile. It reads as a dead man's peeled back grin, to Geto. ]
I like the idea of them spending all of their money on nothing, don't you?
cw: it is MY turn to warn for eye stuff, how rare.
It's not what I'd choose tonight, but maybe you're right. You could put better use to it. How do you want to play it? That we have the man? That we're willing to make a trade?
( He could be a bodyguard, that's fine. He certainly looms enough for one. )
YAYYYYYYYYYY
That we have him, but we'll only take them to him without a proper investment. To show they're serious. After all, everyone is looking for him, right?
[ A moment, and then — ]
An undisclosed account. Secure. Just enough to make the investment be serious, just enough that they will struggle to make it up and reconsider the next time that someone thinks to tempt them with their find.
no subject
( It comes out lazy, he spares Silco's vacant countenance another glance. It's a little like micro-dosing, a little too like glutting himself on the horror. He's seen many dead friends in his life, one day it might get easier. )
Or no, maybe they're the stupid sort. They're all foaming at the mouth for the man, with enough clever pressure they'll fold. All right, do you want me to stay silent? More of a - mm - bogeyman kind of presence?
wildcard; @curse 02-01-80; 2:16 am
money
money questions
help
no subject
Let's start with the what and the why.
no subject
i have ten zeroes more in K in my account now than i did earlier in the evening
is this a bug or a feature
1/2
no subject
So, you have come into a windfall. Now, the question is, what do you do about it? Or rather, what is it you are trying to do with it?
Keep it before it vanishes?
no subject
with this kind of windfall, he could give Yuji a good life if they stayed in this fractured world. the cat cafe need never worry about rent. oouugh. ]1
yes.
if there is a way to make something into something else beyond the reach of the law and related oversight committees, you would know it.
or so i assumed.
no subject
[ Not quite what he asked, but it's Silco. He's like that. ]
How complicated do you want to make it?
no subject
untraceable.
no subject
Property, items of value, I do not recommend things that depreciate. Do not use vehicles, or goods that devalue. Do not gamble it.
Instead, invest it in things that will grow, outside of LILITH. Valuables such as antiques, or even through exchange. Though do not do so in large sums. Spread it out as much as possible.
Different names, small transactions, and change your location frequently.
no subject
devalue? depreciate? terms to learn. property. value. no gambling. ]
what DOESN'T depreciate? foodstuffs? greenery?
02
As he wanders down the street, following the latest trail for their escaped viking, he hears Silco's voice. When he turns his head, he's lying there dead. His body has been shot, and it has to have been those gangs trying to kill Bjorn, and Taryon screams.
Only for Silco to be alive and well, standing in that same spot. Taryon blinks a few times.]
Oh- You're-- Never mind.
[Taryon pulls his eyes away, but curiosity brings them back to Silco's half-glitching face. His terrified expression does not change.]