GBG Session 8.5: And Getting out Again

<Darkling> A row of fluorescent lights glow brightly overhead of the small metal card table that sits in the middle of the room. Two chairs, occupied by Pilots Corring and Lahja surround the table. Other than a camera in the upper corner, the room is bare. A single locked door leads out, there are no windows,.
<Darkling> Both of you were unceremoniously dropped off here, left in handcuffs, and have not seen the guards since.
<Darkling> It's hard to tell how long it's been, since there is no clock, and all your possessions we confiscated, but it feels like hours.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Did you see Wilhelm?" Lahja asks. She doesn't seem overly upset in any traditional sense. Just off. And there's that almost drugged looking stare.
<Corrin> "They shot him." Corrin responds after a long moment, voice flat. "I think he fell."
<Darkling> It isn't that distant of a memory. He got shot in the chest then took a swan dive off the platform.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Yes. Did you see the blood? Did you see his splatmarks? Did you see his face during any of this?" She asks again, a bit more insistently with each question.
<Corrin> "Yes."
<Corrin> "...Yes."
<Corrin> "Yes."
<Darkling> Back in the city, Lit's phone rings as him and Rasia are working away cooking. He wipes his hands on his shirt and answers it.
<Darkling> He signs to Rasia 'Keep an eye on the food.' and steps out of the kitchen to his office.
Rasia nods, and does so with the attentiveness of a gargoyle.
<Darkling> Some footsteps outside of the door to the holding room the pilots are in, followed by muffled voices.
Corrin cranes his head around to look at Lahja, and is about to speak when he hears the footsteps. Question forgotten, he turns towards the door.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja goes quiet for a few seconds. "What about the guards? Did they seem to like..." She stops abruptly, looking to the door.
<Darkling> The door opens, a man in a white suit enters, shaded glasses concealing his eyes. He closes the door behind him and stands quietly, inspecting.
<Darkling> Lit comes back out of the kitchen, signing to Rasia. 'Time to cleanup. There's a problem.' It's a bit frantic.
Corrin stares back, hands still behind his back.
Rasia frooooowns.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja looks over the man in return. The choice of clothing was a little obnoxious. It reminded her of another white suited fellow.
<Darkling> Lit goes back to talking on the phone, his tone edgy. "Something has to be done, we have agents there right?"
Rasia cleans up, in the loosest possible definition of the word, and tags behind Lit, ears alert.
<Darkling> The man speaks, his tone reeking of pregidous and disdain.
<Darkling> "What were you doing here?"
<Corrin> "Are you a NERV official?"
<Darkling> Lit comes back into the kitchen again. "Tell them to make a mess of things, something we can use to cover it up. I'm heading there now."
<Darkling> He pulls his shirt back over a flak jacket, and tosses another jacket to Rasia. "Put it on," then heads for the elevator.
<Darkling> The man's gaze doesn't flinch at all Corrin, nor does he deign to answer your question.
Rasia snatches it from the air, hesitating to follow the order.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> The tone snaps Lahja out of her memories. She takes a more thorough look over the man, discreetly taking note over whether he appeared armed or particularly sturdy or not. Not that she planned anything, but it never hurts to know. "We were following our comrade, sir."
<Darkling> "Your dead comrade." He notes. "Why did you come down here?"
<Darkling> Lit takes her down the elevator and climbs into the jeep, buckling up.
<Corrin> "We're not answering that unless you're with NERV. Sir."
<Darkling> "Are you so certain about that?" A single eyebrow raises behind his glasses, and a small sneer twitches at the edge of his lips.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Yes, sir. Our dead comrade." Lahja says as casually as she can manage. She pauses to shoot Corrin a very annoyed look. Maybe she's stalling?
<Darkling> "Where is your fourth?" He asks, looking to you now Lahja.
<Corrin> "Downstairs." Corrin blurts. "Why did you shoot him?"
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Another annoyed look at Corrin, then to the man. "Our fourth didn't attend today's trip."
<Darkling> "Hm." He looks disappointed at that.
Corrin shoots Lahja a glare of his own, but doesn't say anything.
<Darkling> "Very well, I have no use for either of you." He turns and leaves the room, and you're alone again.
<Darkling> Speeding down the streets of the city, Lit's on his phone again, giving orders and asking for status updates. Something is going down.
<Corrin> "They're not NERV." Corrin says as soon as he's gone.
Rasia is clearly just as wound up, though she doesn't have a damn clue why.
<Darkling> "An explosion would work, we can blame it all on gas fumes. It'll have to affect everyone at the facility."
<Darkling> "Make it so." Lit hangs up the phone. "We're going to get Lahja and Corrin." He explains to Rasia, swerving around a corner and down into a tunnel.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "They're not." And then a sigh. "I wish we could have played the part of idiotic teenagers. But I suppose between Wilhelm and their knowing of NERV..."
Rasia blinks, staring up at him. ...I can count, Lit, that's one too few.
<Darkling> The table and chairs the pilots are sitting in shake.
<Corrin> "Did you feel that?"
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Yes. An earthquake? In Berlin?" Barring the presence of anything keeping her attached to the chair, she moves beneath the table and curls up.
<Darkling> It happens again, this time the walls shaking too and a deep rumble reverberating through the building.
<Corrin> "Maybe it's the enemy." Corrin says darkly, standing and gaze moving around the cell.
<Darkling> In the jeep, lights flash overhead, illuminating Lit's face scrunched up and full of worry.
Rasia growls, the tension and not-knowing putting her teeth on edge.
<Darkling> "I don't know what happened. It was just a field trip." He tries to explain.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Or psychological warfare." Lahja says, feeling a bit like an idiot. "You should protect yourself anyway, Corrin. If something falls or explodes it's safer to have cover."
<Darkling> Giving credit to Lahja's warning, the lights go out.
<Darkling> Lit gives a brief glance to Rasia to try to reassure her, then his eyes are back on the dark road.
<Corrin> "There has to be something..." Corrin begins, then stops as the lights go out. "Good point." he admits after a few seconds of stumbling in the dark. "Damnit. Where are you, Lahja?"
<Rasia> It helps. A little. She curls up on the passenger's side, kneading the seat cushion.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "I'm under the table, Corrin."
Corrin follows the other pilot's voice, and stumbles into said table.
<Darkling> Another rumble from somewhere high above, followed by gunshots in the hallway.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja hums quietly after hearing the stumble in an attempt to be helpful. Too bad it doesn't do much to help him avoid chairs.
Corrin staggers back after the latest impact then drops to one knee and starts to inch in the general direction of the humming.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> At the sound of gunshots she stops humming. Better to play dead. So much better.
<Darkling> Emergency lights flash on, illuminating the room in an orange glow.
<Darkling> Another gunshot, right outside the door.
<Darkling> "They'll be fine." Lit says, finally.
Rasia looks at him from the corner of her eye. 'Wilhelm?'
<Darkling> "They didn't mention him." His lips press together tight.
Rasia hunches forward, her mouthguard straining.
Corrin rises unsteadily to his feet, hunched over by his hands' position, staring at the door.
<Darkling> The door knob rattles, someone unfamiliar with the lock. Then it opens, an agent in black illuminated in orange. "Pilots. I'm Agent Weaving. It's safe now."
Corrin just stands there.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "I'll get out from under here." Lahja says, some of the stress showing in her voice. She slowly makes her way out from under the table and looks to the agent.
<Darkling> If you squint through the dim orange light, you can see it's Rasia's 'translator' that you see at school regularly.
<Darkling> Another agent steps in from behind her, keys in hand. "Let's get you out of those cuffs."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja nods, offering up her cuffed hands. "It's safe, Corrin."
<Darkling> There's a light ahead in the tunnel, flashing lights, and a mass of people, Lit slows, and turns down another tunnel that you could have sworn was a solid black wall in the dark. "We'll be avoiding the crowds."
Rasia twitches her nose, a little startled. Need to work on my nightsight...
Corrin turns and does the same as Lahja.
<Darkling> The second agent comes in, moving quick to take the cuffs off, then back to the door.
<Darkling> "Follow us." Agent  Weaving orders, then leads down the hall, gun pointing the way.
Corrin obeys promptly, rubbing his wrists as he follows.
<Darkling> The bodies of the guards that took you captive lay slumped over in teh hallway, the agents stepping over them, the ground slick under your feet.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja follows along quickly behind the agents. Definitely staying behind them and out of the line of incoming fire. Then a bit of paranoia kicks in, and she often finds herself looking back over her shoulder.
<Darkling> Down and around corners, the agents seem to know where they are going. You encounter no one else, and no more bodies as they lead the way through the maze.
<Darkling> Lit stops the jeep and climbs out, there's a door ahead with a single light over it.
Rasia sprints out, towards that very door.
<Darkling> "Rasia, back up." Lit orders, keeping his door open and staying behind it, possibly for cover.
Corrin just follows with his hands at his side, on the heels of the Agents.
<Darkling> They come to the end of a corridor, a single door. The until now silent agent pulls out a phone, speaking into it. "We're about to exit, are you in place?"
Rasia takes a few steps back, visibly straining.
<Darkling> The door opens, a man in black with a gun pointing the way, he stops and signals Lit, and checking the area before proceeding, agent Weaving following behind him.
Rasia growls, rolling on the balls of her feet.
<Darkling> Lit relaxes, if only slightly. Weaving moves over to them and they start to converse in whispers.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja exits after the agent. Then she feels less relieved than she did a few minutes ago. How do you even begin to explain this?
Rasia counts heads, bristling when that 'two' number shows up again.
<Darkling> "Pilots!" Lit yells. "Over here, now."
Corrin just watches numbly, standing just beyond the doorway.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> After a moment's pause Lahja runs over. Best get it over with and not add any more fuel.
<Corrin> "Yes, sir." Corrin responds automatically to the Captain's call, posture unconsciously stiffening.
<Darkling> "Report." He crosses his arms.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Pilot Wilhelm was curious about the facility." Lahja begins, and much like Corrin she grows rigid and her voice rather monotone. "It seemed familiar to him inside, and he believed the Jotun attacked it for reasons other than its importance for our food supply."
Corrin starts to speak but stops when Lahja does the same. While she speaks, he just stands there, stiffly, staring straight ahead.
<Darkling> Lit looks to the agents, then back to Lahja.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "When we had the opportunity we separated from the rest of the students and followed Wilhelm's lead. Pilot Corrin was against the idea, but accompanied us regardless. We came to a sealed off area, but made our way in through a vent."
<Corrin> "The vent led to a structure similar to that used to store the geodome's Aesir cages." Corrin continues flatly. "We dropped from the vent onto a platform above the area."
<Darkling> Lit continues to listen.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "After making some observations and taking a photograph using Pilot Corrin's tablet. But we were caught. We tried to run back up the vent. Pilot Wilhelm... attempted to fight them. He was shot." Her stoicism cracks. So does her posture. "Afterwards we were questioned by a man in white. He knew we were with NERV and he knew there were four of us. But he was mostly interested in Rasia. He said we were of no use to him."
Rasia tenses, stepping forward and grabbing Lahja's arm.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja is surprisingly unresisting. She looks slightly away from both Lit and Rasia. Mostly Rasia.
<Darkling> "Rasia," Lit steps forward, "She's mistaken."
Rasia stares at Lit, already a little wet in the eyes.
<Darkling> He takes her hand, releasing her grip from Lahja.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Despite her curiousity Lahja keeps her gaze averted.
<Rasia> She does stop crushing Lahja's bicep, bewildered.
<Darkling> "Get in the jeep, I'll explain on the way home."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja does so with a nod.
Corrin doesn't salute, but follows the Captain's instructions, moving from where he'd been standing stiffly.
<Darkling> Lit gives Rasia a final look before releasing her hand. "He's fine, not dead."
<Rasia> 'But Lahja...'
<Darkling> He signs to her so the other pilots won't hear. 'Doesn't know what she saw.'
Rasia puts her hands down, giving up.
<Corrin> Corrin stops abruptly, turning to face the Captain. "Sir?" There's a strange tone in his voice. "Did you just say...he's fine? Pilot Wilhelm's alive?"
<Darkling> "Yes. In the jeep, we need to vacate the premises. That's an order."
Rasia clambers in, still frowning.
<Corrin> "Yes, sir!" Corrin responds instantly, energy back in his movements for the first time since the bridge.
<Darkling> He gets in after, starting up the engine. The agents have already disappeared into the dark, and Lit does the same, driving the jeep back through the black corridor and heads back towards the city.
<Darkling> "You deserve an explanation." He starts, turning back onto the main service tunnel. There is even more commotion behind them now. More emergency vehicles have arrived and people are running everywhere shouting in a hysterical mob.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja listens quietly. She relaxes somewhat, but she's a bit twitchy.
<Darkling> "While I explain I want you to think about what you remember." he takes a deep breath.
<Darkling> "During your field trip, there was a malfunction in one of the purifying engines close to a fuel cell. It was not contained properly, and there was an explosion."
Corrin listens as the jeep rumbles on, staring at the Captain as he speaks.
<Darkling> "You might remember shaking, the building itself. The main explosion let off a high amount of hallucinogenic fumes into the air. Some of them were flammable. There was a chain of explosions following after that."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja listens as well with a nod. She reaches for a conveniently placed bottle of water, unscrewing the cap. "I understand, sir. We've been around an awful lot of manure today."
<Corrin> "But, sir, Pilot Wilhelm. I saw hi..." Corrin starts, but cuts off as his voice cracks and devolves into a harsh rasp. He stops, gulping down water from a bottle taken from the cupholder in front of him.
<Darkling> "You were seperated from the rest of the class, and Wilhelm was hit by some debris. The agents were able to extract him and take him to his doctor quickly, but had trouble finding you."
<Darkling> "Some of the guards there found you, took you to a cell for safety, and that's when our agents caught up and located you."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "And the man in white was a nice nurse?" She asks in annoyance, taking a drink from her bottle.
Corrin just blinks, still staring. " Sir, I don't understand." He pauses, hesitant. "Are you..you saying..."
<Darkling> "Man in white?" Lit sounds confused at that. "It must have been the fumes."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Politicians do it all the time, Pilot Corrin. It's a necessary evil." Lahja covers her mouth with her hand as she yawns.
Rasia accidentally swallows a piece of her mouthguard.
<Rasia> ...Guess they need to put something stronger in there. So tense, Rasia.
<Corrin> "So there wasn't a man, sir?" Corrin asks, baffled. "It was just a...a dream?"
<Darkling> "Not a dream, just a twist of what was going on."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja curls up in the seat so much as possible, taking another long drink. Her eyes narrow a little further, albeit in tiredness rather than irritation and she mutters quietly.
<Darkling> "It's going to take a bit more time to get home, just relax and this will be behind you soon enough."
Corrin has slowly been relaxing from his initial forward-hunch, and is now slumping back into his seat. "Sir..." he mumbles, the words slurring. "I'm sorry...about...not stopping..."
<Darkling> He looks back to see if they're both passed out or not.
Rasia twists a little in her seat, settling and staring at Lit. Right. At. Him.
<Darkling> He meets her gaze so he can read the expression in his eyes, then turns back to the road.
Corrin is slumping back, head tilting and eyes closed. Dead to the world already, and soon to be unconscious.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja seems to be passed out, or very close to it. She mumbles a word or two every so often.
<Rasia> Eventually her attempts at reproaching Lit fade off, and she curls up. No sleeping, though.
<Darkling> ==========================
<Darkling> Back home at the apartment, riding up in the elevator. Lit shook the sleeping pilots awake enough that they can walk with support. It was only a mild sedative in their water luckily.
<Corrin> "Whaa...sir?" Corrin mutters groggily as he stumbles along.
<Darkling> The doors open and they enter the apartment. "We're home now, come on." He moves them forward.
Rasia keeps her senses perked, a sudden moment of hope teetering carefully.
<Darkling> The main room is empty, and it's quiet.
Rasia twitches an ear, and bolts down the hallway. Mother #fucker!
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja stumbles back into the apartment, but she's in slightly better spirits to be there.
<Darkling> Lit leans the two drowsy pilots on whatever is close before chasing after Rasia.
Rasia pounds on Wilhelm's door.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja makes her way over to the couch. She promptly closes her eyes.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> The door opens. A boy stands there in a sleek white suit, blonde hair slicked back. He isn't wearing and glasses, and the catlike expression of irritation is missing, replaced by a blank look.
Corrin unceremoniously slumps onto the floor midstep.
Rasia bares her teeth, though the effect is diminished with her anti-bite gear. Her nose scrunches, and she leans in. Does it still smell like him?
<Wilhelm_Faustus> More or less. The scent isn't strong, but its there.
<Darkling> Freyja stands behind him, observing.
Rasia shoots a mean look at the woman, giving the boy a half-nudge-half-nuzzle with her forehead. Awkward step backwards.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> For a moment he just stares. Then a hand comes up to rest on her head, ruffling her hair.
<Rasia> Rasia's face colors, and she looks back at Lit.
<Darkling> "I told you.." He breathes a sigh of relief.
<Rasia> Long pause. The wheels are certainly turning... Eventually Rasia comes to the decision: This requires writing. Lots and lots of writing. To the journal!
<Wilhelm_Faustus> He watches her go, looks toward Lit, then disappears back inside his room.
<Darkling> Freyja takes her queue, says a quick goodbye and heads out the door and down the elevator.
<Darkling> Lit heads back to the common room, picking Corrin up off the floor as he goes, and places him on the couch before slumping into a recliner of his own.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...bastard didn't know what he had." He clasps his hands behind his back and looks to the new tank in his room and the creature within exploring its new habitat.
<Darkling> =================END=================