☆TRACK VI: THE NEW AMERICANA

[interdimanagers]

Who: All the rescuers...and DAFT PUNK.
What: The rescuers enter Vista City for the first time.
When: January 20th, 2055
Where: The ship, the coast, and outer Vista City.
Warnings: Could basically be anything.

“Viral mess turned dreams into an empire. Self-made success now she rolls with Rockefellers. Survival of the richest, the city's ours until the fall. But we don't feel like outsiders at all.” ☆THE NEW AMERICANA Your arrival on Tera doesn’t exactly happen with a bang – though maybe that’s a good thing, given that this is supposedly a stealth operation. The ship firsts touches down somewhere in the ocean, at which point it hovers above the waves for a few hours while Shep “touches base” with some “contacts.” This is your time to get ready, to collect any gear you’ve been assigned, and to talk over initial plans with your new teammates. You’ve been given a rough outline of what to expect upon reaching actual land. You’re going to be dropped off in the ring of forested land outside of the city, at which point you are to access a hidden stash of supplies that has been planted there for you and head into the city, where a second stash of supplies will be waiting for you in the outer ring of the city. It will probably be a long walk. From the onboard supplies everyone will be given the following: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING: if your character doesn’t already speak English, they will be given some time with a crown like technological device that seems the be able to psychically teach people languages at a rapid pace. Whatever has been enabling communication so far won’t cover you once you enter the city, so it’s important that you’re prepared. How easily a person’s brain accepts this information will vary based on unseen neurological factors, and can range from perfect fluency to an uneasy second language. (On an OOC level, whether or not your character struggles with picking up English is completely up to you.) Most of this training will be done on the trip to Tera. THEIR DESIGNATED TOOLS: any items your character was designated on your application will be given to them now. They’ll have some degree of choice in what they get, but everything is limited in supply. There are manuals for everything, but how much you can be fucked to read them will vary. Also, some of them aren’t in English or anything else even remotely recognizable. COMMUNICATION DEVICES: Everybody will get a communicator, which are worn around the back of your ear and project a holographic field over your eyes when activated. The device itself must be manually switched on with your fingers, and from there on out your exact method of controlling it depends on the settings. Some of the more basic functions can be manipulated with “brain waves” (though nothing very complicated) and the rest is mostly voice or touch activated, though you can also set it up to be controlled with blinking and eye movement if you are a “pro”. Its functions include voice, voice-to-text, and a sort of janky manual text mode that you have to touch the screen to use. Video chat is not available, though it is capable of recording video from your POV to be shared manually after the fact. It can also share still images. Various channels can be set up and accessed, both private and public, much like a Teamspeak server is used in gaming. HOLO EMITTERS (LIMITED): The amount of these available are limited by “plot convenience.” Do you want your character to have to struggle with their alien appearance to get by constantly? Then imagine there wasn’t enough of them to go around and your character was unlikely or benevolent enough to not receive one. Would you rather they have access to one? Then you can have one. A holo emitter is capable of projecting a holographic image around your character and disguising their appearance, the complexity of which is entirely up to you. The major problems with it are that 1) it can’t conceal things that the hologram doesn’t actually touch – cow horns could be covered in a hologram to look like a hat, but it couldn’t make them look as if there is nothing there at all, and 2) the holograms have no mass, and so if anyone tries to touch them they’ll realize they are just light projections. Also, like most of the equipment, they only work for a few hours before running out of power. ☆STASH NUMBER ONE: THE FOREST Once Shep has made sure things are prepared and everyone has their stuff, the ship will very briefly skirt close enough to the shore for people to disembark. The beach seems totally free of witnesses, and once you’ve hit land it’s a short run to the tree line. A few random people will have map information uploaded into their communicators (Usagi, Saitama, Reborn, Pearl, and Sparks Nevada are the lucky winners) and will be put in charge of making sure everyone navigates to the first stash correctly, and then into the outskirts of the city where a meet-up point and a second stash of equipment is located. The directions are not complicated, but it’s a lot of people to shepherd around incognito. How everybody handles this is completely up to the characters. Meanwhile, Shep is piloting the ship back off into the ocean to hide it somewhere. He says he’ll meet you in the city at some point, and that he’ll keep in contact via the communicators. Stay safe, and good luck! The first stash is about a twenty minute walk into the forest, and should be found with relative ease. It is basically just a few large, plastic tubs buried beneath soil and moss, and has to be dug up like treasure. Inside of it lies the following: AMERICANA DISGUISES: Clothing, make up, the works – everything the average joe needs to pass themselves off as a resident of Vista City. Outfits are perhaps a bit more eccentric and flashy than you’re used to...or maybe a bit less, depending where you come from. Either way, it’s a specific look, and there should be enough here to accommodate new outfits for all the humanoids. If you’re a horse, you’re sort of on your own. What your character ends up with is up to you, though “space rave” is a good way to describe common aesthetics. There are also a lot of hooded coats, hats, and other articles that would be good for hiding inhuman characteristics. RATIONS: Enough food at water, tightly compact, to last everyone for a few days. It’s going to start to run out quickly, though, so the group is going to need some breadwinners sooner rather than later. A WELCOME CARD: A welcome message from these two with their selfie printed on the front. Written inside are the following messages: “Glad you could make It! ♥ –Gold” and ”Welcome to hell. ☺ -Silver”. They are both in the same handwriting. From there, the maps only lead further into the city. ☆STASH NUMBER TWO: CITY BOUND You'll quickly notice that Vista City comes with multiple levels - the ground level, that actually touches the earth, and then a second level of streets and walkways that occurs halfway up the mountainous buildings. Cars streak down both sets of speedways, and the signs of life scatter every inch of the towers surrounding you. At the same time, though, a city of this magnitude leaves a lot of nooks and crannies left frequently unseen - something you'll definitely have to take advantage of. In the outer ring of the city the population is less dense than it gets towards the center, so at the least it gives you the opportunity to get your bearings. You'll find that there is no shortage of people stalking around in the darkness, even as the sun sets and night totally takes hold. A lot of them are dressed pretty funny, too, and any insecurities you had about looking ridiculous can tentatively be put aside. The costumes you were left do allow you to blend in about as well as you could hope. If the navigation team holds true, you'll be able to make it to the next stash in good time. You've been advised to avoid talking to locals as much as possible, at least until you've figured things out better. There is a notable absence of homeless people on the streets, which could mean any number of things. The place you end up at is, unsurprisingly, a warehouse. One of the few entirely flat buildings in the cityscape, the maps will lead into the center of the building. You try the door. It opens. When you go inside, you aren't alone. The floor is littered in blankets and what passes for foam mattresses. Waiting with them is the silver helmeted figure from the welcome card earlier. They usher you in hastily and ask you some cursory questions about whether you've been followed. When they seem satisfied, they'll tell you that you can spend the night here. "This is the first and last time you can stay here," they'll say, gesturing around. "This was Gold and I's launchpad for the last little while, and we're junking it after this. I recommend you follow our example. Don't stay any one place too long, and don't travel in one huge group. If you do that, one bad night will pin you all down." Silver will pass out what is apparently enough fake IDs for everyone in the ship - complete with each individual's image (or a human approximation) and a made up name. It's enough info to get a job with, they'll explain, if you can manage it. Avoid pushing the forgery's limits, though, if you can. They made them themselves so they expect they are excellent quality, but you can never be too careful. "...Most importantly," they'll finish. "Don't go looking for the prisoners right now, as much as you might want to. If you fuck that up, you'll fuck this up for everyone - and I'll tell you right now, other people have already invested a lot more blood and tears into this than you have. Respect that." Silver will stay for a few more hours, and then Gold will appear to take over, bringing snacks and hot chocolate with them. Get a good sleep, you'll need it. “We are the new Americana. High on legal marijuana, Raised on Biggie and Nirvana. We are the new Americana.”

Comments

[boldfortunes]

[It's simply a compliment, and she feels a little odd for making him feel out of sorts. At least, she feels like she is. But his question? She answers somberly, a hand over her heart.]

Two friends. They took Maki and Nico. And I'm not going to let them get away with that. With...using...other people's dreams like that. It's wrong.

[jacktothefuture]

[Two friends. The loss of one seems great enough but to have lost two to this place... it's a great burden she's undertaken.]

I see. [He closes his eyes, committing the two names to memory as he intends to do with every one that he hears.] We will get them back. That, I promise.

[boldfortunes]

[Nozomi nods, letting her hand drop. She does believe him. She absolutely believes in him. In everyone here. The people she's talked to today are a serious mishmash of individuals but that's frankly alright in her book. Idols, gangsters, a space cowboy, a talking horse, and a samurai.]

Mmm. We will. We have to. [She closes her eyes and takes a breath, mumbling a little prayer.]

I'm Nozomi. Or...Nora.

[jacktothefuture]

[It's a serious thing, a promise from a samurai. Of course, he'd come here intending to do no less than to see everyone returned home safely but speaking it aloud as a promise solidifies it, makes it more real somehow. This strange group, each with their role to play, they will succeed.]

I am called Jack. Although, here, you can call me "Sam."

[boldfortunes]

[Hmmm. It is a serious thing, indeed. And as any good Japanese girl knows, the promise of a samurai has a lot of meaning. A call to the past, for her, anyway.]

Sam. That's a good name, Sam. [She finally smiles, warm and happy, with big eyes and all.] I guess you've done this kind of thing before?

[jacktothefuture]

[It's good to see that smile on her face after she'd been looking so serious a moment ago. He's not sure how, but it seems he's helped somehow. His own serious expression softens a little into a small smile as well.]

I have. Not quite like this, no... but I have visited many strange lands and met many people in my travels.

[boldfortunes]

[She nods again, scratching her cheek with a finger as she thinks about what that might mean. After Sakoku? Before? How interesting. She's nothing if not learned on Japanese history, and it hasn't quite crossed her mind that a samurai might not be from Japan.]

I haven't, but I have traveled a lot. This is all...um...new. I'm just hoping that I can be useful because I've never been in a fight before.

[About the worst really was slapping someone.]

[jacktothefuture]

[Even if he had, he certainly hadn't grown up there, rather his childhood had been spent traveling all over the world. He could tell her more stories of sailing vast oceans, or exploring the plains of Africa or robbing nobles blind in Sherwood Forest than he could any firsthand accounts of Japanese history.]

I think we will be very unlucky if we must fight right away from the beginning. [Besides, he has no issues with this girl stepping up to take part in battle.] Besides, there are many more important roles to play than fighting.

[boldfortunes]

[Humming softly, she nods. Things seemed peaceful enough, and everything she knew about stuff like this could basically be summed up in action movie trivia. But yeah, things didn't usually go crossways until the heroes did something. So...he's probably right.]

Yes, I guess that's true. Information is power too, and I can blend in well. [She'd done that before, moving from place to place constantly as a child.] And people will talk to a cute girl...[Tooting her own horn.] So maybe I'll be able to find out something and pass that along to people like you.

[jacktothefuture]

[A wise man once said that a plan falls apart the moment it's put into action. No matter what they do, inevitably they would have to improvise to some degree. That's fine with him, he has a good deal of experience with that. It's the ones with less experience he worries for.

That boast makes him blink and he hmms thoughtfully.] That is not quite what I meant but... I suppose they would, yes. [She does have a point, but...] Such a thing can be very dangerous, however. Please do not take any unnecessary risks.

[boldfortunes]

[Nozomi nods once, a sharp jerk of understanding.]

Absolutely not. I've already got a plan of action, and that's going to be easy. I'm going to try and get a job in a music store. That way I'll have plenty of reason to be interested in our friend's bands. [Which is about as far as she was going to go without planning and help from others.] It's a start, ne?