TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[neosapienmods]

JANUARY TEST DRIVE

Watch on YouTube

1: SPRAWLING WASTELAND, GLOWING IN THE DARK

No sunlight reaches the Underground, but there is rain: grey, oily droplets that slowly trickle down from the city above, seeping through layers of concrete until they drip from broken light fixtures onto the aptly named black markets below. The glow of neon signs keeps the shadows at bay, just barely. What was once a system of utility tunnels and basement bunkers is now a warren of tiny shops offering reprogrammed ID chips and back-alley cybernetic upgrades, where hitmen and slave traders operate with lawless impunity. But someone is always watching... the eyes of Yakashbah, graffitied in bioluminescent paint, stare unblinking from the walls.

People come to this place for only two reasons: they're either looking for something, or they're trying not to be found. Whatever your reason, the Underground welcomes you.

2: A MIND OF DARKNESS, A HEART OF LIGHT

Outside of manicured parks and glass-enclosed vertical farms, green space is rare in New Gate City, so the elites flaunt their wealth in private rooftop gardens. Fragrant, exotic flowers bloom amidst strings of lanterns, and real grass - an extravagant luxury - carpets the ground beneath partygoers' feet as they sip champagne and admire the dark cityscape below. Tonight, one of the Douman Zaibatsu's myriad charity organizations hosts its annual fundraising gala... but this year, the special guests attract even more attention than the celebrities and fashionistas in attendance. Representatives from the Neo Sapien Organization have been invited to speak on the topic of Human/Meta-human relations, and to raise money on behalf of job placement programs for impoverished Metas in the Last Ward. Of course, most within the Douman Zaibatsu would prefer that these "job placement programs" send Metas to the farms far outside New Gate City (or better yet, to the lunar strip mines), but at least for tonight, members of both factions hide behind false smiles and false words.

3: AS FEAR'S REPLICATING, YOUR WORDS RESONATING

Someone gasps, and everyone looks up. Arcadia's central shopping district goes silent, save for the distant sound of pop tunes played over tinny speakers, as a massive black banner unfurls down the side of a building. A crudely drawn eye fills the banner, bisected by a line of white paint... the unofficial symbol of the Meta rights movement. People start to whisper, and somewhere, there's a cheer. Police drones buzz through the air above.

Meta rights protests aren't uncommon in this part of New Gate City, even though they're soon dispersed by local security forces. This banner, too, will be quickly taken down and destroyed, but the photos and videos of the event will be harder to suppress. Already, the bystanders are murmuring to each other, some in support and some in fear. Others keep their heads down, wary of expressing their true feelings about the rising numbers of Meta-humans. And as security forces move to block off the area, others are frantically trying to disappear.

4: A NEW HOPE GLISTENS OFF THE STREETS

The blocks surrounding the Neo Sapien Organization's headquarters in the Middle Ward are like an oasis at the center of an otherwise inhospitable city. Old buildings have been renovated into bright and cheerful apartments that accommodate a variety of Meta-human physiologies, Meta schools and Meta-owned businesses are flourishing, and Meta-friendly shops and cafes line the streets.

The best coffee in the Middle Ward can be found at The Mean Bean, just across from the NSO building, where the shop's fire-breathing Meta owner personally roasts every batch. NSO employees and and other patrons of the popular cafe congregate to discuss local news and gossip: a proposed Meta registration and identification law, rumors of vigilante gangs near the border with the Last Ward, and rivalries between NSO university sports teams. Arguments occasionally grow heated (especially when it comes to sports), but overall the atmosphere is friendly and congenial.

5: WITHIN THE CHAOS, I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE

The Last Ward's electrical grid is reliably unreliable, but blackouts on this scale are rare. Half the ward has been dark for the past three days, save for a few emergency generators and dwindling battery backups. As winter winds batter old, drafty concrete apartment blocks, the residents grow restless and frustrated. Police have already put down several riots, but there's no stopping the spike in looting and other petty crimes.

In the Parish, many people have opted to barricade themselves inside their homes until the blackout ends, but others are taking advantage of the chaos. Most, though, have chosen to band together to protect each other throughout the long nights. The people of the Parish may not have much, but at least they have a sense of community.

Comments

[defencive]

There's two reasons for it.

[And Weiss looks pleased as hell that she gets to explain, potentially at length, to Yang about her beloved paperwork.]

The first is security. Even the things I don't encrypt are things I'd rather not have every joker with a cracking program look at for fun. Paper is much easier to secure than any network.

[She takes another bite of brownie and washes it down with a mouthful of coffee.]

And the second is that organizing things makes me happy. Even if it's just pencil marks on paper.

[defencive]

Weiss isn't gone long, only having to pick up her coffee and throw in a bit of cinnamon, but she is almost surprised that Lapis seems to have taken her seriously.

"Thank you," she says, sincerely. "Half the time when I ask someone to do that, they've started messing with whatever it is before I even finish turning around."

[defencive]

Okay. That is a lot of woman, just speaking volumetrically. And very close. And while Weiss has gotten used to getting her personal space invaded by certain people since coming to work for the NSO, they're normally much...louder about it. Or want something, even if it's just attention. She doesn't know how to deal with someone just suddenly showing up there, like she was in their space somehow.

"Can I...help you?" she tries, after a few seconds of staring at this lady trying to figure out what her deal is.

[burndownforwhat]

[ Yang is genuinely excited whenever someone goes on about their interests. this is no exception, even if there's just one potential flaw in Weiss's reasons. ]

You know I could just put my hand on that book and it'd be ash, right? You have a backup plan for that?

[ it's so fortunate that Yang is not an asshole. she smiles lazily, leaning her face heavier against the palm of her hand, just entertaining the hypothetical scenario. it's a joke. Weiss knows it's a joke, right? ]

[defencive]

And I could freeze all the hydraulics in your arm and then beat you to death with it.

But I'm not going to do that, because we're friends, right?

[Maybe she knows it's a joke?]

[burndownforwhat]

[ she points. with her right index finger because it's free and also appropriate. ] That's just retaliation.

And I haven't used hydraulics in my arm since my first one, so. [ Yang sticks her tongue out. that'll... show her...???

look she's very tired. and dumb. ]

[defencive]

Oh, really? What does it run on?

[Weiss might not be a mechanical gearhead like Yang, but in spite of her caveman accounting she does like to keep up with technology.]

[constructadditionalheroes]

"I couldn't just not do anything." Which was more or less true. Lena really couldn't stand by in the face of injustice any more than she could stop breathing.

She eyed his hand thoughtfully as she considered the four dimensional knots she was contemplating tying in the universe. "I'm only going to mess with that power of yours if we're going back in there."

[burndownforwhat]

Wouldn't you like to know...? [ with the lidded eyes and sluggish tone that almost sounds suggestive. but fortunately Yang catches herself in that and jerks upright in her seat. ]

Oh.

Wait.

You do, don't you? [ finally something that actually snaps Yang's attention span back to the present. ]

[rubricatus]

It's never too late to learn. I'm sure there's a book I could recommend you, if you're looking to brush up on the subject.

[ He half-laughs the words, but his gaze has turned away from Andrei — and turned up, his height making it a simple matter to look out over the heads of the crowd. He makes no effort to hide what he's doing, which is definitely checking on what law enforcement is currently up to.

There's a moment of silent deliberation, and then, a cautious thought reaches for Andrei's mind. ]

They can't decide if they want to disperse the crowd or keep us in. Is there somewhere you need to be?

[ He can't exactly whisper when he needs to lean down so far to do it, you know. ]

[defencive]

"Definitely committing all of this to the memory hole if I get caught," Weiss replies. "Better get going, my powers aren't really an exact science when it comes to incapacitating people."

She closes her eyes and concentrates on the ambient moisture in the air, from the breath and sweat and wind and incredibly shitty pipes in this part of town, collecting it into one place and instantly crystallizing it around the boots and goggles of the for-hire-goons, freezing them in place before she drops more chunks of ice out of the air onto their heads.

[failinglight]

[Barriss is a little bit tipsy, but it's something she has allowed, not purging the alcohol from her system with her powers. She wants...no...needs it, in a way, especially if she's going to be faced with Yang looking like that. Still somewhat awkward, the public nature of all this fraying her senses a little, she keeps up her gentle smile without trouble though.]

So it would seem. This is a rare enough opportunity, certainly. Strange, too, given the tensions.

I love it

[mammal_robot]

"I'll probably just switch back to an iPad. Those work, but my last one got-" broken in half by nazi cyborgs in a way that PROBABLY wouldn't be canon in the game but I can play fast and loose with during a testdrive thread. "-ruined."

Robo actually glanced over at the kid and started to wonder if he was going to have to sign an autograph. "I'm normally pretty good with faces but I'm having trouble placing yours..."

[defencive]

I was genuinely curious, yes.

And if you're going to hit on me, you need a lot more leadup for it than just one brownie.

[She gestures with the pastry in question.]

I do have standards, you know.

[fibrillate]

Levi, for their part, sat stock still except for their head slightly turning to follow him, like they were locked on to Zeke in an MMO and stuck in a sitting pose. When he finally re-emerged, they blinked once, twice... and clouded their glasses over.

"I've never seen you before in my life," they said dryly, then continued. "But if I had, I'd say I was going to head over to Jess' place in a few hours so she could give me a massage, then we're going to try to work on our team comp together and see if we can tighten anything up." From behind their glasses, their eyes slide to Zeke, and they give the tiniest grin. "What not-small things did you have planned, o graceful one?"

[fibrillate]

if i changed my gamertag right now it would cost way too much to justify it. maybe i'll just make an alt...? if the only class i have any stats on are the tanks, people might think i'm new and they could be nicer to me. it's devious. i like it.

i can see why you'd want to stop it before it gets hyperfixative, but there's also worse things to be than too knowledgeable about space, you know? unless you accidentally stumble across some secret Zaibatsu files for terraforming Venus next...

[fibrillate]

That's. True. That's true, and if the point right now is to get away rather than cause a commotion, they understand it. They lower their hand, then, and nod firmly. "Got it." But there... might be an issue later on. That they'll have to be up front about now.

"Do you know how wide the perimeter is? Because you don't want me to spend too long without discharging." Well, they don't care whether she doesn't want them to spend too long. It's a Levi problem, plain and simple.

[fibrillate]

"Okay. Sorry, I know it's a pain, but it's better than keeping all of it inside me," they say, and they do sound regretful about it, but... one, they're right, and two, they're pretty sure Jess needs the incentive to clean up. So really, their mutation being a pain in the ass is beneficial!

"I mean, I could try, but I'd blow out power to your whole block by the time I'm ready to leave." They pause, though, and tap the side of their cup idly while their eyes glance up at the ceiling's faintly flickering lights. "Actually, I wouldn't really be able to tell how effective your massage was if I try to discharge everything like normal." They look back down, and they're thoughtful even as they hear the voice of every doctor they've ever visited screaming in their head. "Maybe I will hold it in."

[fibrillate]

"Well, I wasn't expecting Yang to be here," they say, just trying to clear that out of their head so they can focus on anything else. "But so far it's not so bad. Everyone seems to be buying the story about me being some poor Last Ward kid who—"and it's at this point they slip into a very bad Cockney accent as though they're talking like someone from a classic novel—"was just ever so grateful for the chance to work for their supper with the NSO."

They drop it immediately because they are definitely going to get salty if they keep that up. And they shake their head, and give a weak little grin, because it's their own fault that they tried to be funny in the first place. "I'm glad you're here, though. Diplomacy assignments like these need as much help as they can get."

[fibrillate]

Oh, Jotako was here, too. Good. They're... Leviathan smiled just from seeing them, and only slightly theatrically, they placed a hand on their chest, over their heart, to mime feeling their pulse.

"I'm still here and nothing feels like it's hurting. I found some bourgeois social angels who thought that my mutation was a neat little parlor trick instead of what everyone else thinks about it." They were still trying to be pleasant, but the corners of their mouth dropped a little remembering the undercurrent of debasement running alongside every arc they'd shot off. "I hope their cooked fish bites were worth it," they said, struggling to find a better way to describe lightning-fried sashimi. "How have you been?"

[fibrillate]

[yeah, there it is. there's the question they hoped Yang would keep dodging, but they can't be that lucky forever. at least the answer isn't too heavy... not the full answer, anyway, and the incomplete one is exactly what Yang will get.]

Everyone is buying the story the NSO wrote for me, and by this point I've said it enough times that I could do it without any prep work. I think someone saw me shooting off earlier [they need to come up with a better euphemism] and they looked interested, so I guess I'll need to follow up with them to keep up appearances.

[they shift their legs and jut out a hip to one side, and their head tilts while their eyes stay focused on Yang's face.]

My heart hasn't been beating double time for most of the night so far, if that's what you're worried about.

[burndownforwhat]

Sorry. [ that's genuine. she runs her left hand up her face, threads them into her bangs, and then brushes them out. ] It's been a really long day. I was planning to go out to a club with a friend, but they cancelled, and now I'm just kinda... drifting.

[ Weiss didn't ask for that explanation but Yang just lets it spill on out anyway. ]

[constructadditionalheroes]

"How's it feel being on the other side?"

[defencive]

Oh. Well I'm sorry to hear that.

Also confused. Who doesn't want to go to a club with you? Other than maybe an insurance adjuster.

[failinglight]

"What kind of discharge?"

Barriss asks the question quickly, as she's starting to march further into the alley, hand near the hilt of her plasma sword, just in case.

She doesn't know how wide the perimeter is, though. She does have a way out, at least. But letting this stranger start causing a ruckus is not going to help, so her priorities have changed to get this oddball clear.