reveriance | TEST DRIVE #002

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test drive

TEST DRIVE #002

TEST DRIVE #002

( 0 0 1 ) » WAKE UP

Were you asleep or were you unconscious? It doesn't matter: when you come to, there's an odd taste in your mouth and there's a low-level mechanical hum in the air. Your head hurts and you feel nauseous. You aren't anywhere you know: everything around you is metal, from the floor you lie on all the way to the ceiling. You are dressed in a jumpsuit you definitely weren't wearing before.

"We tried to save the world. I think— I think we did the opposite."

The message repeats on a loop. If you look for its source, you find a comms device on the floor next to you. The logo on its wallpaper says REVERIE TERMINAL. Upon closer inspection, you find the same logo on your jumpsuit.

Welcome to your new home. What choice do you have but to explore your surroundings?

( 0 0 1 . 1 ) » WAKE UP WHERE?
When you wake up, you find that you're not alone. But more importantly, you find that you're in a closet. An empty closet, bar you and your new companion. It's small, cramped, and there is no door that you can see. The ceiling is low, there is barely any lights, only some coming from the tiny flashlight clipped to your suit's shoulder. You cannot be sure that there is any air coming in to the room.

Are these grooves in the wall supposed to mean something?

( 0 0 2 ) » OBSERVATION DECK

There were no windows in the corridor you woke up in and no windows in any of the crew quarters you might have checked for occupants — but there are plenty of windows on the uppermost level of the station, deck 1. In fact, there are windows from floor to ceiling all along the circumference of the station's circular deck, and it's possible to walk along it all. What it shows is a strange solar system you've never seen before and a planet that might resemble one you know, but certainly isn't the same.

You're in space. You don't know where you are. Neither does anyone else.

( 0 0 3 ) » BAR

On deck 3, you find the bar. Tucked away from the crew quarters, it's dimly lit, there are bar stools thrown down on the floor and what looks like some very old drink spills, crusty and dark against the bar top. But there is alcohol here, or at least, what you think is alcohol, in bottles with faded labels, most of them indecipherable. Take a drink, get drunk, start a fight, or start a party? You're stuck on this station, might as well make the most of it, right?

( 0 0 4 ) » SPACEQUAKES

One second, you are is walking. Magnetic boots are on, the ground feels solid enough, for a metal deck in a space station. Everything is perfectly fine, or at least as fine as it can be, given that you still don't know where you are or how you came to be here.

The next moment, it's like everything explodes around you. You're thrown against the wall as sparks erupts from electrical panels, as the whole station rumbles and shakes around you. You fall to the deck, earning yourself scratches from the grating. When you look up, it's like nothing has happened. No wires hanging from open panels, no flickering lights, no more shaking. Like an earthquake in space.

( 0 0 5 ) » NETWORK

The comms device you found next to you when waking up connects to a station-wide network, REVERIE NET. You have the option to post video, voice or text messages.

What will you share?

( 0 0 6 ) » WILDCARD

The station features a variety of locations, from sleeping quarters free for the claiming to a dirty swimming pool and a bar that still holds alcohol (though some of the bottles seem to have been opened a while ago).

Go wild, but don't wreck the place. It's your home for the foreseeable future, after all.

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It's fine, don't worry. [ Apollo flashes Midnighter as bright a smile as he can summon (not very, given how low his reserves generally are on board the station). And despite his words, he still gratefully leans in to that warm body of support. God, it was so much better to have Midnighter to lean on - it made Apollo realise all over again just how empty the past four weeks have been without anyone to literally and figuratively lean upon like this. ]

Honestly, I'm fine. This is what passes for entertainment around here...

[ He says this with that same familiar world-weary, bleak amusement that characterises 99% of their entire relationship - the idea that no danger is ever taken that seriously, not unless it begins with B and ends in Endix. ]

Guess that means I'm going to have my work cut out trying to entertain you instead.

[and if his expression turns a little dirtier at that, it's only because it's to be expected. their team may not be around to mess with, but that doesn't mean he's going pass up and opportunity to lighten the mood a little more.

of course, that attempt doesn't last long, and midnighter turns his attention back to the door again. to the faint dent apollo managed to make in the metal. a literal sun god, capable of decimating mountains and smashing buildings to pieces. and yet somehow, it's a sheet of metal that holds him back. whatever's going on here, they need to get to the bottom of it. they need to find out what is being so carefully hidden.]

So most of the doors are like this? Have you managed to get through any of them yet?

You have no idea how much I've missed how entertaining you are.

[ Apollo delivers manages to deliver his reply so very somberly, even with the faint hint of the exhausted smile at the edge of his lips. It's been a long four weeks.

But he pulls himself together somewhat, steadying himself against Midnighter for only a moment longer before pushing himself to stand properly on his own two feet. He can't rely on Midnighter too much here - mostly because it just doesn't feel right. Apollo hates feeling this painfully vulnerable, even with Midnighter.

Nodding sagely as Midnighter inspects the dent, Apollo leads him on towards the elevator once more. ]

And as for the doors... We can move between a few of the decks and get in and out of a few recreational rooms, no problem. The cabin doors are fine too. But everything else is locked down.

[ He gives Midnighter a knowing look. ]

Locking us in or locking something else out... that's the question we're all dying to know.

[he waits until it's clear that apollo is steady before he steps away again. before he allows himself a brief moment to swipe his fingers over the dent left behind. he's been on the receiving end of his punches before to know how much damage his husband can cause. so the idea of it only doing this doesn't sit well with him. not when it looks like a simple piece of metal. something that even midnighter should be able to bust through.

apollo starts moving again though before he manages to dwell too much longer on the lack of damage, and midnighter turns to follow after him instead. later, maybe, once they go their separate ways again, he'll take a closer look at another door. he already knows that, ultimately, he'll end up rechecking every one himself, regardless of what he's been told.]

The crew disappearing is a pretty good tell. But I guess we can't take anything for granted here.

[it's only once they reach the elevator that he continues, after a glance back down the corridor towards the door that leads to the observation deck.]

Any sign of damage on the outside?

[ He thumbs the elevator keypad and listens to the dutiful whirr of the lift mechanisms on the other side of the doors. There's still so little they know about this station - how the elevators even get them from one ring to another. But there are only so many mysteries that they can focus on at any given time and Apollo would sooner waste his energy on doors than wondering about elevators.

At Midnigher's question he shakes his head helplessly. ]

A few meteorite dings but nothing major. Nothing that would explain why the entire crew of a space station of this size has gone missing.

[ At his elbow the elevator chimes softly at his elbow and the door rolls open. ]

Mystery after mystery after mystery... [ Apollo smiles weakly before heading in. ] Our favourite.

[heading in after apollo, midnighter takes up a position at the side, arms folded as he leans against the wall. a look at the controls has a frown on his face, and not just because he doesn't know where they're heading to yet.]

It could be worse.

[though he doesn't even attempt to explain how. they've lived through worse before. almost dragged the entire planet down along with them. after all that they've seen, an abandoned space station is relatively low on the spectrum of "badness".

okay, maybe halfway up the list.]

Think you're up for taking me out there later?

[to take a look at the station himself. he doesn't doubt what he's been told. but if he can get his computer up and running for long enough, maybe he'll be able to spot something that apollo can't. somehow.]

[ As the elevator door slides shut with a gentle hiss behind them, Apollo thumbs the third floor button and takes up a position near Midnighter. It's intoxicating, having him here. Apollo feels practically giddy with it, as if the reality of having his husband in mortal danger on this hellhole space station hasn't quite sunk in properly. He copies his position, one broad shoulder up against the wall, within touching distance and facing his husband. All the better to see him, to be close to him. ]

Later, sure.

[ He grins, angelic features taking on a slight edge of wickedness. Apollo has plans for his husband. Exploring the station can wait. ]

Not immediately. Not for at least, say...

[ He pretends to check the comms device on his wrist, glancing at the time on the little display before shrugging nonchalantly. ]

An hour - ninety minutes, maybe.

[it's always something that astounds him. the fact that, given the way they tend to act in public, apollo is easily considered the more virtuous of the two of them. (of course, that most of the time midnighter is seen in the public eye he's covered in blood or in the middle of something particularly violent doesn't help.) but living with apollo, being privy to the other side of him, it feels like being married to two different people. or it would if he wasn't so used to it by now. didn't love him for it.]

If either of us are still functioning after an hour, I'm taking that as a personal insult.

[considering that, at least on his side, this is the first time he's been alone with apollo since his self-determined exile. quite how he managed to survive that long without the familiar warmth of his husband by his side, he doesn't know. but now he has it back again, he isn't ready to lose it. to lose him. especially up here.]

An hour? Hm, okay.

[ Apollo nods politely, as if Midnighter had said something entirely different. Like he had said how long it would take him to walk to the local corner store. Not that they have ever had a local corner store.

And it's this that he's missed most - the only person who he can share this kind of joke with. The man who was made for him, who was there on day one, who has been by his side as they struggled to create the finer world they always believed in. The Midnighter behind the mask, who patiently lets Apollo wash the blood of him but also doesn't mind if they skip the blood-washing altogether.

Apollo reaches out to graze his fingers against the collar of Midnighter's jumpsuit, close to his neck, dusting away an invisible speck of dirt. There's nothing there; he fusses for the sake of touching his husband. ]

Half an hour. [ His words are light, conversational, as he focuses on Midnighter's collar. ] Maybe.

[under any other situation, the touch would earn a reaction. would have him cycling through the millions of different ways that contact could be turned against him. his own counter-reactions to them all. it's something he fought long and hard against, trying to train the computer in to seeing apollo as anything other than a threat. and it'd worked, for a while. had let him see him rather than a target.

(of course, that'd all gotten shot to hell the moment bendix managed to sink his claws back in to him again. but the less he thinks about that, the better.)

here though, on this station, it doesn't seem to matter whether those crosshairs are there or not. doesn't matter whether the touch is a friendly one or a threat. at least not as far as the computer is concerned.

if only he could just...reboot it.

his gaze moves to the opposite wall as he tries to focus on the touch. on the knowledge that it is apollo stood there. that he doesn't need to look. to see a target he has no hopes of ever wanting to counter.]

Only half an hour? [yep. just act like nothing is wrong. everything is fine.] Think it might be best to say you're going AWOL for the rest of the night.

It's not like we've got anywhere else to be...

[ The elevator chirps an alert as it slowly slides to a stop at deck three. Apollo doesn't move to react when the door slides open; instead he pauses, gaze caught on Midnighter even as the other man looks away. Remembering his features, remembering every line and scar and patch of stubble, as if they'd been parted for years and not months. ]

Come on, [ He says eventually, shouldering away from the wall. ] Let me show you where we're staying...

[trailing after apollo is almost second nature to him by now, and it takes him a moment too long to remember he's actually free to walk alongside him instead. a moment to stretch his stride out enough to match apollo's pace. there isn't a team to account for. isn't a need to fan out here. so if he ends up with their arms brushing every other step, well, who's to stop him?

another identical corridor, and midnighter's attention drifts from the surroundings and back towards the two of them. towards apollo, really. working out his own next moves will come during the dead of night. when he's free to slip in to the shadows and explore the station alone.

no, instead, it's apollo who keeps his attention. something he'd denied himself for months now. he'd only returned to the carrier that day, and the two of them hadn't had a chance to talk. hadn't done anything more than given a few cursory greetings and words safe for an audience. now may not be the time to discuss it, but he can at least take the opportunity that presents itself and silently bask in his husband's presence.]

[ Unaware of what's going in Midnighter's head, Apollo explains the situation as they venture down the deck 3 corridor. If only there had been someone to explain to him all of this stuff when he arrived, then maybe he would have picked a bigger room. ]

The cabins are automatically assigned to the first person who walks in with a new comms device. Mine is cabin four, deck three...

[ Right next door to what was Kara's room. Apollo forces himself not to look at the door in question, nor think of the vacant room beyond it. Not right now, at least. Instead, he gestures at his own cabin and the door that slides back automatically at his arrival. ]

It's not much but it's home... for now.

[ It really isn't much. There's nothing personal to Apollo on display - nothing that sets it out from any other cabin. The bed is barely slept in, the walls and shelves are bare. It's just a basic room, impersonal and lonely. Apollo's home for the past month. ]

Home...

[the word is a soft rumble as he takes the room in. the one exit. the single bed. the lack of any kind of personality to the room. apollo may have only been here for a month so far, but he'd expect something of the man to be here. some sign that this room was at least being lived in. if it wasn't for the familiar scent in the room, midnighter would have had no idea that this was his. that he'd ever set foot through the doors.

they'll have to fix that. later.

stepping in to the room, midnighter takes a moment to let the door slide shut behind them. time to cut the two of them off from the rest of the station. it means he's free to wrap his arms around apollo without having to fight his computer for control too much. doubly so when he's the one stood behind the other man, forehead pressed to the back of his neck as he soaks it all in.]

Missed you. [and then an even quieter--] M'sorry. [though his apology has nothing to do with the situation at present and everything to do with the mess he made when he left.]

[ It doesn't feel much like home and Apollo can hear that in Midnighter's voice. But he doesn't say anything more; he can't defend why has been left so bare, other than the fact that he really didn't plan on staying long. And he still doesn't.

He relaxes as Midnighter slides his arms around him, settling against his back. It's a welcome warmth and a familiar touch, one he's missed more than he can express in mere words. He turns, twisting around in Midnighter's arms so that he can face him properly and wrap his own around his husband's familiar form. ]

Oh, are you now? [ He murmurs, amused by the apology. There's nothing about this that could ever be construed as Midnighter's fault. ] And what are you sorry for exactly?

[it's a self-inflicted penance, in a way, when he leans back enough to make eye contact with apollo. it'd be so much simpler if he stayed where he was, with the two of them wrapped up in one another, rather than make the attempt. but given just what he needs to say in response, he isn't prepared to hide. he did enough of that when he chose to leave in the first place. when he continued to stay away for all those months.]

I left. And I wasn't here when you arrived.

[which, given the almost non-existent pause between the two statements, could be seen as a single issue. but it's only the latter that relates to being on this space station. the former is the one he actually regrets. that he's trying to apologise for. he needed to leave the carrier. the team. there was no other option for him. so even now, despite knowing all the damage he did as a result, he wouldn't even consider hijacking the time police's ride to go back and stop himself.

changing things though...

it's only then that his gaze finally flicks away. that he has to grit his teeth as he forces out the last few words.]

Should've talked to you.

[because then, maybe bendix wouldn't have been able to sink his claws back in to him. maybe he wouldn't have abandoned apollo. maybe jenny would have been able to have a real childhood. maybe, maybe, maybe. the only definite is that, if he'd talked to apollo, he knows they would have found a better solution to it all than midnighter chose.]

[ A faint frown paints a crease across Apollo's expression at that reply. 'I left'. As far as Apollo knows, Midnighter has only just arrived. How could he possibly have left already? ]

What are you talking about? [ The faint smile of amusement still lingers on his lips, making the frown seem more bemused than anything. ]

You haven't left.

[there's a frown of his own, his confusion clear for the brief moment before he's able to tuck it away again. he hasn't had a chance to explore the station yet. hasn't sifted through the network and the plethora of information it holds. so the idea of time being a factor hasn't even crossed his mind. nothing beyond the knowledge that apollo has already been here for a month. maybe he's somehow...set it aside already?]

Harmony. [there's a lot more to his absence than that. bendix. paulus. even jenny had a hand in him staying away for so long. (he doesn't blame her though. he can't. not when he understands how much she was trying to help. doesn't mean he's ready to forgive her yet though.)

what it ultimately comes down to though is--]

I thought I could be normal. Should've known it wouldn't work.

[because like it or not, he's the midnighter. lucas trent is a lie.]

[ ...Harmony? Apollo's expression changes in an instant. He remembers those wretched months when Midnighter had vanished once again, this time in pursuit of a part of him that was probably better forgotten. Apollo leans back, giving Midnighter a look of pure confusion, and distantly shakes his head at the memory. ]

But that... that was months ago.

[ He pauses, battling with the sinking feeling in his stomach. ]

What happened just before you arrived here?

Harmony was this morning.

[after well and truly cutting his ties to the place. after destroying what was left of his relationship with mindy. but if apollo has been here for a month already, there has to be some kind of time fuckery at play here.]

I came back to the carrier. And now I'm here, and you think that was months ago.

[and midnighter's-- well, not panicking. but it's a close call. have they messed with his head that much that he's forgotten the past few months? or worse, have they messed with apollo's?]

[ Harmony had only just happened as far as Midnighter's concerned, but for Apollo that had taken place nearly half a year earlier. Apollo shuts his eyes briefly, pained at the realisation that Midnighter has no idea what's happened to them lately. ]

Does the name Ken mean anything to you? [ He asks after a moment of indecision, opening his eyes again. It's worth checking, just in case... ]

Something tells me we're not talking plastic dolls here.

[his voice is completely flat as he pulls away again, putting space back between them so he can give apollo a look. one that's a mix between annoyance at being out of the loop here, and concern that whoever this ken is must be important in some way if he's bringing him up. so whether or not it's something he should know about yet--]

What happened?

[ God. Somebody had made that joke, hadn't they? The familiarity of it twists his stomach unhappily; hearing Midnighter not remember (or not know) one of the most awful choices the Authority ever had to make in a long, long list of awful choices was nothing short of horrifying.

His hands drop to Midnighter's waist; he swallows uncertainly. It's not like him to be nervous. Is that what it is? Nerves? Or maybe just latent guilt. ]

It's a long story...

[ Apollo nods towards the bed. He needs to start from the beginning. ]

Sit down, I'll tell you everything.

[he doesn't like this. doesn't like the fact that apollo is trying to ease him in to whatever it is he has to say. that means it's bad, even for them. means that the authority have likely fucked up in some way, and he hasn't been there yet to see it.

fingers wrap around apollo's wrist, and he tugs the man down with him. sits at an angle so he can see him. can try to work out how far to push for each detail he wants.]

Apollo. [there's a warning to his voice. not one of flat out anger though. not yet. rather, it's exasperation.] Just talk. No kid gloves. [...not that either of them have treated each other that way before.]

[ He lets himself be guided down, settling on to the bed beside Midnighter. Knees pressed against his husband's twisted around to face him a little - a mirror image of the angle that Midnighter turns to him. His hands in Midnighter's are warm and pliant, letting them be held as he explains. ]

The Carrier crashed through the Bleed, stranding us in a low-energy world. It didn't have any superheroes, any magic, no Doctors or Jennys. What's worse is our caged baby universe was missing and the Carrier was dying... we had no idea how to get home.

[ It had been something of a reality check; without the Carrier, the Authority were stuck no matter how powerful they thought they were. Apollo grimaces at the memory. ]

We were working with a local, a man named Ken. The Doctor looked inside his mind and he realised why the world was 'low energy'. He said it felt like everyone in the world was sleep walking...

[ And this is where it gets weird. ]

Turns out, this Earth had some kind of parasite. Like some space creature feeding off the entire world. Sucking out the emotional power of everyone on there, tapping in to the collective subconscious and draining it bit by bit -- hence why that Earth was low power, see?

And of course, there's us with the Carrier and all of our power, crashing in through the Bleed... it noticed us.

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TEST DRIVE #002

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