FRIDAY AUGUST 5TH, 2011
(Don't Speak Its True Name V: Dominiere)

3:39 AM
Still surrounded by mirrors.
I'm not sure if I like looking at my face right now, but. It's the one I was given.
And I'm not alone in this.
In the reflections, two Musicians stand behind on either side of me.
I see the outside.

3:40 AM
Finally got out of the Sky's Neighborhood. Jesus, how long was I in there? The sky's the darker red of night.
I don't have Tiger Stripes anymore. Guess that was just a thing specific to that.. "world."
This carnival is empty, the entertainment powered off.
Where did Bones go?

3:42 AM
No one is here. o_o
I'm near the outskirts of town, all I hear is the wind rustling the trees.
Some of the trucks walling the carnival are slowly ticking as they cool off.
I just need to.. assume that Bones went home, and do the same.

3:57 AM
Walking home at night, past streetlights that still work, houses sleeping. Alone with my thoughts.
What actually..
I mean.
If someone were to ask me what I've been doing. And they will. What can I say?
That I got suicidal?
That the Musicians talked me off the edge?
That I talked myself off the edge?
That I don't want to be here anymore. Not here in Dominiere. If that's what an attempt at "normal" would be for me, sitting in my room, waiting for my friends to all disappear…
That it took a lot to shake me out of it, a whole world injected into my head.
And that I'm not even sure I've been shaken out of it?
We'll just have to.. wait and see?

4:20 AM
Coach Motel.
Lit hallways, late at night.
Up the stairs.
Find my room.
..knock on the door. u_u

4:21 AM
door opened a crack. donnie's face peering out.
"Where have you been?"
Carnival.
"It's been two days."
...that explains why I'm so hungry. oh man. Two days?
"Uh-huh."
Shit. Well, I ran into the Musicians.
"…"
she's letting me in.

4:22 AM
paper is scattered on the floor, soaked in food grease. remains of dinners.
paper mario is on the TV. chapter 6. oh man, my least favorite.
Have you been playing?
"Not much else to do. I like RPGs."
You started your own file, right?
"Yes."
Okay.
"But, you do need to explain some things."
About the game?
"About what happened to you. Did Bones make it home?"
I don't know. He wasn't with me when the Musicians took me to.. another place. And he wasn't there when I came out in the end.
"..." a sigh. "Did you.. write it all down?"
Apparently, yes.
"Go over it with me. Please."

4:37 AM
She's definitely still mad. Concerned? She didn't like the parts where I wrote about Fentzy.
And the Sonic stuff got absolutely no response.
But as it wrapped up, with the visions of wooden skin and strings, and the final talk with the Musicians, her hands were on my shoulders. I found myself crying reading some of it.
"This sucks. I hate it here."
I'm so sorry, Donnie. >_<
"I'm not really sure that this was your fault."
I'm not either, but I hate not being sure of that. I don't like to settle for a Maybe on my guilt.
"Things just sort of started happening when we got more people."
I didn't like that. I feel like I'm watching things happen on a movie screen.
"You need control."
I don't want control when other people are involved. D:
"No, you need control over yourself. Just like I do too. While you were gone, I was playing some of these video games, and realizing what it means that this is part of who you are. The controller is like meditation sometimes. It lets you engage with the concept of control, and hopefully get used to its presence in your life."
Huh. Y'know, the controller was the biggest obstacle for me for years. Gamers on the internet didn't really talk about that much? That it actually kinda sucks to learn how to use a controller, any controller, even the best ones. I guess, when you've grown up with them and are even older than me, you've gotten so used to them that it's like a second skin, you don't think about it, but that's because all the actual gruelling learning happened when you were a kid, during times you've entirely forgotten or reinterpreted as Game Difficulty.
"It's never easy to gain control. In our own lives either. I think school and family and jobs and socializing distract us from engaging with the gruelling process of learning how to control our own brains. At least video games give us some time to think along those lines."
Yeah. You're better at seeing this stuff than I am.
"I was much more of a book reader. That's the toolkit I was given: Turning things over in my mind, connecting dots, processing information. You were more of a gamer, your processing is more immediate but you're not given as much insight into recognizing what you're seeing."
I did read some books.
"Oh yeah? Which ones?"
I, uh. I read all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
"All the short stories?"
And the novels, yeah. 60 pieces in total. Read 'em in a year. I also read, like. Fahrenheit 451. The Giver. Julius Caesar. A lot of my reading was for school, though Sherlock Holmes was on my own.
"So a decent, if not large, amount."
Oh, and I read Halo books!
"...Halo books?"
Yeah! Actual novels in the Halo canon. I read two of them. Fall of Reach, The Flood. And then there was some Stephen King. I read The Dark Half, that was pretty much the only one I cared about.
"What.. was your childhood?"
Video games. Late-night Full House marathons on TV. Boomerang, Nicktoons. Flash sprite animations on Newgrounds. And a lot of lonely summers writing fanfic no one was gonna read.
"Oh my god. I love a fucking dork."
You still love me?
"Of course I do."
You're not.. mad at me for disappearing?
"I was worried about you, you dolt. I'm still worried about Derek, but we'll have to look for him tomorrow. We need sleep."
Okay. Do we have anything to eat?

2:35 PM
When I woke up, Donnie had gone next door to talk with Fentzy.
A shadow had cast over the window, darkening the room, so I almost didn't get up, but the thing is, it doesn't get that dark at night, the red sky is always bright like a full moon on a cloudy sky. So I sat up in bed, and I looked at the window, and I saw a person. Arms outstretched to hang on our window, legs awkwardly balanced, reminded me of a bat or a bird. Their jaw was hanging open, stretched down to their belly, a narrow but gaping maw breathing fog onto the window. And they weren't wearing clothes.
Naturally, I loudly said "What the fuck!" and got out of bed like I was dealing with a spider. Watched its eyes follow me.
Covered my boxers, as if I thought it was judging me.
It hissed something, drool dropping from its mouth. Definitely tried to say something, ended up licking the window.
But it wasn't trying to break the window down or otherwise... get in.
So I anxiously stepped a little closer. Tried talking to it.
Asked it if it's a friend. Maybe Salmacis.
And then it just let go and dropped from the window altogether.
I rushed to the window, looked down at the street, saw nothing out of place. The people walking by hadn't even noticed. Where did it go?
I gave it a minute, waiting to see if anything would follow it up, waiting to let my paranoia settle a little bit.
Then I started talking to the woman in the mirror.

2:36 PM
She's someone I've seen before. Back in early July, on our way to the God Machine, there was a woman in the mirror there too. And I saw her again when we got here, when I was alone in this room. I'd been talking to her. She has long dark hair that often covers her face entirely, and an old-fashioned dark red dress.
For a little bit, I even thought she had something to do with the Musicians, as they started appearing in mirrors, but I don't actually think she does?
"I don't. That's right. We know each other, but we're very different."
You know the Musicians?
"And they know me."
Who are you?
"You wouldn't be able to spell my name if I told it to you, and I don't want you to butcher it. 'The woman in the mirror' is fine enough."
Okay.
"I'm glad to see you're more lucid today. You've been drifting lately. Very absorbed in nothing at all."
Thank you. I'm going through something.
"How's your stomach?"
I don't know. Waking up to ol' Peeping Mothman kinda pumped me full of so much adrenaline that it's hard to tell.
"Hmph. Maybe it's happening to your friends, then."
A stomach bug?
"Do you honestly think I'd be trying to tip you off about something so mundane?"
Well, I don't know anything about you. Maybe you love the mundane.
"Absolutely not."
Are you a.. Fear?
"I refuse to be called that."
But, so, you're a god, then.
"That one's acceptable."
Ah. Okay.
You're not a god I've heard of. Are you from.. Xanadu?
"Now that's an offensive question."
I'm sorry! I'm just trying to gauge if you're.. from Earth or not.
"I think you'll find very few of us are from Earth. I'm one who likes to wander, it comes easily to me, I'm not tied down to bodies like so many others. It doesn't surprise me that you have heard of others and not me. There is still so much you don't know about your gods."
Tell me about it.
..like, rhetorically, but also, if you do want to, please do tell me about it.
"Well, for starters, do you know anything about the Topography Genera Center?"
o_o
No, not a clue. Never heard of it.
"They were a research lab, before the red sky. You'll find they had a presence across the world. But now... they're in the business of making new gods."
..like the Harlequin?
"Look at the places that your mind goes. Let me speak, boy."
Yes, sorry. o:
"There is one who works for them, a man we call Doctor Cloud. He has found an ancient abyss, darker and colder than the space between galaxies, a place where gods like to hide from bigger fish that come hunting. We did not show him this abyss; he impressed us by finding it himself. And he is curious enough, stubborn enough, human enough to go prodding it with measurements and theories until he discovers how it works, how it breathes. It is only a matter of time before this has consequences."
...'what did doctor cloud find in the genera…'
"You have heard the whispers. You have seen the writing on the wall. Listen well, child: The abyss is measuring him too, and coming to conclusions on how he breathes. The good doctor is in an intellectual battle for his soul. As long as he continues digging into the abyss-- and he will-- then the abyss will change him, and knowledge of the abyss will change him."
This sounds like an allegory. Are you talking about me?
"Such narcissism! This is literally happening. Doctor Cloud is real. The battle for his soul is real. And furthermore, the changes to Doctor Cloud have not gone unnoticed by his coworkers. The Genera is real, and they have a vested interest in finding anything, or anyone, who might know how to protect him."
The trucks. The trucks we've been seeing say 'Genera Transit.' They're here?
"Dominiere is not what it seems."
Nothing ever is.
"You're taking a tour of the totem pole of power, and you're still at the point where you're surprised it's a hike. Boy, you must climb."

2:40 PM
I'm dressed.
Going next door to check on Donnie and Fentzy.

2:41 PM
Foul smell.
Bathroom door's open.
Donnie's holding Fentzy's hair, she's on her knees with head in the toilet.
Donnie looked at me and shook her head.
Stomach bug.
...
Fentzy, did you eat anything strange?
"Ugh... no, I don't think so. We have been eating a lot of cafe food, but it tasted alright. ...fuck, don't make me think of food…"
Sorry.

2:45 PM
Fentzy wanted to be alone in the bathroom, so I took Donnie out into the hallway and filled her in on the conversation I just had.
We're gonna look into the Genera today.
We'll let Fentzy rest.

3:22 PM
Asked around the market. Tried to be kinda casual about it. Expected some noncommittal answers, and yeah there was some, but we also got some "You shouldn't be asking about that."
Oh well. Had to ask around, had to be sure. Now we can go look for those trucks.

3:26 PM
We know for a fact the trucks are out by the carnival, so that's the way we're going.
As we walk, Donnie wants to talk about Fentzy.
"She was your crush. Is this going to cause problems?"
I hope not?
"I want you to commit, Jordan. If there are problems, are you going to stay true to me?"
I mean. o_o Yes. Of course, sweetie.
"Because you two have had more time to be friends than we have. She didn't know about your crush, and I may have.. told her. I kinda had to, to find out if she knew."
Well, there are ways to ask more discreetly.
"I don't make a habit of lying."
I don't either!
"I'm just saying, she knows now. So you two may have an awkward conversation about that. And I want you to…"
You want to do damage control. I get it. I promise, Donnie. It's you and me. :) I love you.
"I love you too, baby."

3:36 PM
Ooh, hang on. Let's stop by Marty's.
..he's with customers right now.
donnie "what's this place?"
blacksmith. I left my sword here.
"you left your sword? you mean you went defenseless?"
well, as far as I knew, I was just going to a carnival.
..he sees us. one second. yeah you got it.

3:37 PM
"Hey, kid. Your sword was just what I needed. I'm upgrading all my stock for my clients. Thanks for letting me look at it."
No problem! :D You said you'd have a replacement for me?
"Yeah, actually, how'd you like to have two?"
Would I!!!
Donnie, do you want a sword?
"I like blunter things. But keep the second one, it's good to have spares."
marty "If you work on your arm strength, you can even dual-wield."
Fuck, that's the coolest thing. Please, swords, give me.

3:38 PM
hooooly shit.
one sword is fucking black.
the other one is black on one side and purple on the other.
donnie "fancy colors."
marty "Luxury craft. Call it a thank-you for arming us."
is there anywhere I can go and.. play with these things? a practice dummy or something?
"Plenty of alleyways around here. Find some empty cans, try to slice them up."
eeeee!!! :D

3:50 PM
okay this is a little detour from what we were supposed to be doing, but can you blame me???
I get to play around with two swords!
obviously can't write in my journal when dual-wielding, but I was given sheathes, so I can put them away.
Donnie wants to know if I want to name them. ooo:
As a matter of fact, I put thought into that while I was swinging them around!
This one, the black one, is Hammett.
And this one, the half-purple one, is Hackett.
"Ham It and Hack It? What's 'ham' mean in this context?"
Kirk Hammett, and Steve Hackett! O:
The! The lead guitarists for Metallica, and Genesis, respectively!!
"...yeah, okay. I can see that. That might be one of your better naming decisions."
What was wrong with 'Tiger Stripes?'
"Uh, honey, the guitar was perfectly white. No stripes on it."
It had stripes when I got it!
"Did they get scratched off?"
They were dirt stripes! They.. washed off.
"Ew."
It was second-hand!!! From Electric Town in Castleford, shortly after we moved to England!
..she patted my head. .w.

4:09 PM
Caval-Arcade should be right here.
"But it's not."
It's an empty lot. No hammer games. No mirror maze.
"No trucks."
What the fuck are we going to do?

4:14 PM
We turned the place over. Looked in fucking trash cans, for god's sake. There isn't even a single flyer from the carnival.
I was just here 12 hours ago. I had been here for two days.
"If they packed up in the trucks and drove off, can we catch them?"
We can't even leave the town without hitting a wall of zombies.
"But doesn't that mean they can't either?"
I'm pretty sure a caravan of trucks could just plow through them.
"You're pretty sure, but you don't know. This is what we need to do, Jordan: We've got to try."
Sure. But there's one more thing I'm thinking of.
"What's that?"
We left Fentzy alone. If we're going after those trucks, we might be leaving this place. We need to bring her with us.
"But maybe the trucks have only just left, and time is of the essence!"
Maybe, but I'm not leaving her! I'm not leaving any of you guys! I've been careless enough!
"It'd take at least an hour! Even if we did something stupid like split up, one of us goes and gets Rauri, the other stays here, there's no telling"
Then, look, I'll go get her, you go out of town, follow the road, get past the zombies, watch out for trucks! We'll catch up!
"Can I get past the zombies by myself?"
That's why we have two swords! Here! Take Hammett.
"..alright. But be careful, baby."
You too. You're the one going into potential danger.
kiss

4:46 PM
I tried running part of the way, but I just had to slow down more after to catch my breath.
God, I feel that stomach thing coming on.
But I'm there, I've got to get Fentzy.

4:47 PM
knock knock.
"..don't come in.."
Fentzy? We've got to go, we've got a plan.. of sorts. But we've got to go nowwww..... o___o
she's in bed. wrapped up under the covers, face pale, cringing.
because there's a dozen clear tubes coming out of the walls, draped across the floor, slipping under the covers, pumping blood and bile out of her… other tubes pumping something else red into her…
what. the fuck.
"just let me die… just go away and let me die…"
>_<
Not a chance.

4:48 PM
With one sharp slice of Hackett, I cut the tubes, draining blood across the carpet. They made a startling squeal sound and then slithered away, as if alive, retreating into holes in the walls that were then quickly covered up with mechanical closing doors, false doors, completing the facade of an ordinary hotel room.
Fentzy's sick. She's lost a lot of body fluids, and something foreign has gone inside.
She's gone straight to the bathroom.
...stomach bug.
Did this.. happen to me the other day? o_o;;;;
...hey, Fentzy. drink some water, take care of yourself, then come downstairs. I'll be down there, causing some fucking trouble.

4:50 PM
cozy reception. smiling guests waiting for a taxi.
Hey. I need to speak to the manager.
receptionist. "Certainly, sir. Can I ask if something's wrong?"
Yeah, the tubes in our rooms trying to drain us of blood just malfunctioned, we need someone to fix that. >_>
"Uh."
>__>
"I'll.. get the manager. Just wait here, okay?"
I think I'll come with you. No need to make the manager come all the way out here.
"No, really, there's no need for that, I'll be right back."
Exactly, there is no need for that. Let's go. >___>
"…"
…
"Do I need to call the.. police..?"
It's just the manager, actually.
Look, okay, if I can be sure you're really gonna come back and that you're not actually the manager yourself trying to bolt, I can wait here.
"I'll.. I'll be right back. I promise. I'll go and get him."
Fine.

4:51 PM
..checked behind her desk after she left.
there's a panic button.
and I hear sirens approaching.
she already called the police.
goddammit.
I'm fucking this up. It's been a while since I've caused trouble on purpose, okay.

4:52 PM
Cops with guns.
"Dominiere Constabulary, put your hands where I can see them!"
Thank god you're here! She went that way, officers!
…
holy shit that worked.
I see fentzy coming down the stairs
fentzy c'mon
c'mon
we gotta go, now
like, now now, really super now

4:53 PM
"were you able to figure out what was going on?"
well. no! not in the slightest. kinda just got the police involved needlessly.
"ugh, do we have to walk so fast..." clutching her stomach.
I'm sorry. we may have the police after us.
"then can't we just, like. steal their car?"
…
fentzy, you're a genius.
"I'm good at finding the laziest way forward. good at dealing with body pains."

5:02 PM
thank fuck for cars. we've already caught up to Donnie.
baby, get in. we're on the run from the police.
"What do you mean you're on the run from the police? You just went to get Rauri!"
Yeah, uh. Our warm welcome at Dominiere may be wearing out. I'll explain on the way.
We've got some trucks to catch.

5:48 PM
driving through canadian highway. trees on all sides.
following tire marks. lots of them. heavy ones.
we think we're on the trail.
(god I hope we're on the trail.)
stopped for a quick pee.
donnie is disconcerted by what I said about tubes.
even fentzy didn't really realize what was happening. she was in and out of deep sleep, just felt utterly rotten.
we still don't know the story behind dominiere.
maybe we'll never find out. but maybe the genera knows.
back to the road.

8:13 PM
The tire marks continue well into the night.
They're fresh, we're following something, a lot of somethings.
But it's also not like anyone's going around cleaning these highways, so there are a lot of trails.
We're pausing so I can stretch. Donnie wants to take over driving.
Fentzy jokes that now I get to be the prisoner in the back.
Donnie took over and said I'm under arrest.
...girls. >w<

8:35 PM
..how far did these trucks go?
where the hell are we going?
fentzy points out that canada is a big place. we could be on the road for weeks. it's a whole other america.
please, let us not be on a big goose chase. >__<
this was donnie's idea.
...I need to trust her.
I dealt with the Musicians on my own, in my way.
I need to trust Donnie to know what she's doing on this one.

10:55 PM
The trail is leading us towards Vancouver. o_o
In that direction, anyway. Doesn't look like there's all that much else in that direction.

11:08 PM
"The trail makes a turn here. We're not going to the city."
The sign says Abbotsford. This is somewhere smaller.

11:22 PM
We've pulled up.
Donnie's found the trucks.
"Genera Transit." But they've parked at a warehouse with no label. I had been expecting to find the big Genera Center itself.
Donnie's asking to borrow Hammett for a while longer.
Of course.
Fentzy's got her gardening thing billhook.
Let's..
..what are we gonna do? What's our plan?
donnie "Walk in there and make them tell us what's going on with Dominiere."
fentzy "Ask them if they know where our friends are."
And if it's all a bust? Do we have a contingency?
donnie "Drive back to Dominiere and storm the place."
..jesus. o_o okay, sure.
I'm gonna.. follow you ladies on this one.
fentzy "don't fucking call me a 'lady.'"

11:24 PM
Into the warehouse.
Lights are on. Lots of little generators powering them, lots of little screens going over inventory. Charts and data I can't read.
The more pressing thing, though, are the guards coming our way.
Donnie "Excuse me, are you with the carnival?"
"You kids need authorization."
Fentzy "Do we really look like 'kids?'"
Donnie "This doesn't need to get ugly. We saw these trucks in Dominiere and followed them here. We left some of our stuff in one of the carnival booths, and"
okay I can't bear to listen to this. my eyes are wandering.
what's even in these trucks?
…
pod people.
why are there people in pods.
Why are there people in pods?
..the guards are reaching for their radios.
and donnie just cut one's fucking arm off.
this just got ugly.

11:25 PM
hiding behind a table

11:32 PM
We didn't stop until every guard was dead.
We just killed a bunch of people.
donnie "They're keeping people in pods, and they attacked us."
You cut off a dude's arm.
"He was reaching for his radio!"
I! ..yeah, I would have done the same thing, probably! I'm just saying, let's.. acknowledge that that happened.
fentzy "I think we caught them when they weren't expecting a fight. Their uniforms are serious, these guys weren't armed but I think they easily could have been. This Genera group we're looking into, they're not, like, a private army or anything like that?"
I was told they're a research lab.
fentzy "One that needed a lot of secrecy. Donnie, we need to look around now, and we need to be thorough. I don't want to find out that there's a whole platoon of backup on its way."

11:33 PM
These pod people.
They're not breathing. They look lifeless. Dead?
..is that Marty?

11:34 PM
I'm seeing a lot of Dominiere people here.
Either the Genera rounded Marty up a couple minutes after we saw him, got him to the trucks, killed him, then immediately started driving, or this is some heady shit.
This computer, in the truck. I think this is a map. There's blips on it, some moving around.
It's a town. Is this Dominiere?

11:35 PM
Fentzy found a door leading out of the warehouse, into a corridor.
Brick walls. Industrial. Slightly cool.
donnie "If that's where the trucks drop things off, then there must be rooms in here where the gadgets are used and research is done."
Thank you for explaining that.
"Sorry. I'm.. trying to be clear."
I wasn't being sarcastic! It's been another long day, I'm getting tired, I appreciate the clarity.
fentzy "guys, not so loud. we don't know if we're alone."
shit. sorry.
…
What's in this door?
Locked.
Corridor turns.
Lots more doors.
One of them's ajar, down there.
Quiet. Easy does it.
Let's have a peek.

11:36 PM
It's a rec room.
Small kitchen.
Coffee's boiling in a pot.
We're all looking at each other.
We hear footsteps approaching.
..a woman in a lab coat entered the room behind us, saw us, and stopped eating a bag of peanuts. Staring at us.
"Uh. Can I help you?" high-pitched voice. mature. she's gotta be in her 40s.
..donnie's stammering.
Look.
We're here to learn the truth about Dominiere.
And maybe find our friends.
We're not going until we've done at least one of those.
..donnie sighed relief. you're welcome.
"Did someone let you in? How do you have access without knowing about Dominiere?"
fentzy "Our blades are covered in blood."
"That doesn't really answer my-- oh. Oh, yes it does. You killed all of them?"
"Yep. It's not a good idea to go against us right now."
"Hostility. Brilliant, we're doing this right now. Okay." putting her bag of peanuts on the counter. "May I squeeze past you and pour my coffee?"
Uh. Sorry, yes you can, but, is there enough for another cup in there?
she gave a laugh of disbelief. "I'm the only researcher here, and I'm stationed here indefinitely. There's coffee. Help yourselves."

11:37 PM
All three of us got a cup.
The scientist is leading us a couple doors down, to her computer lab.
"You can put your weapons away. In fact, I'd prefer that you did. It's unsafe."
fentzy, strapping her billhook to her back, "You're handling this whole situation very well."
"You are here with a specific purpose, you're willing to talk, and my line of work is very weird."
Talking is how I handle threats like the Fears. I get it.
"You know of the Fears? That's one thing less to explain."
into the computer lab. three desks, each with computers, several monitors. oh shit, more computers. the back walls are big towers.
fentzy, in awe "Are those supercomputers?"
"Dell PowerEdge. That one's Abe. The higher-ups pulled some strings."
"ohhh my goddd."
"You know your computers?"
"Um! Not exactly! I just think they're really cool? And that name sounds like a big deal."
sip of coffee "It suffices."
donnie's still tense, expecting a fight. "Sorry, can I ask, who are you? What's your name?"
"Oh, honey." condescending. "Weapons alone won't buy you that kind of clearance. You're on codename basis; you can call me Lilith."
donnie "I mean, that's still a name, that's all I asked for…"
"You came here for the truth about Dominiere. Shall we focus on that?"

11:38 PM
Lilith's clicking some things on her computer.
"So you three know of Dominiere."
donnie "We've been staying there for the last five days."
"Interesting. That means, if you give me your names, I might even have you on our systems."
donnie and fentzy both went "Uhhhhh. No."
lilith's looking at them over the top of her glasses. now at me. "What about you, ska kid?"
'Ska kid?'
"No? You're dressed exactly like a ska musician. Not intentional? ..will you give me your name?"
…
…
..yeah, it's Jordan Dooling. That's D double O..
"I got it." tippatappatip "Thanks."
…
<:)
"Sorry, this fucking software... it always does this… it always hangs…"
That's Windows for ya!
"It's all modern computer architecture, all the OSes have it. What I wouldn't give to use our grant money on developing a solution for it... ah, here we are."
a lot of rows and columns, a zigzagging line graph, tons of pairs of numbers... those are called matrices, I think?
"You are on our system. Your vitals stabilized from a severe panic attack on August 1st... particularly receptive to the medication on the 2nd... no data for the 3rd and 4th? Not sure how that's possible. But then you're back in on the 5th, and the pattern almost resembles a multifractal. How old did you say you were?"
fentzy "He didn't."
I'm sixteen.
fentzy "okay."
I wanna see where trusting gets us! let me be the guinea pig!
lilith "16 years old, and somehow registering the curves of a mature adult, and only on this one day. Can I ask what you got up to the last two days?"
Sorry, that one's a question I don't want to answer.
"Maybe later, then. Okay. ..wait, you say you're looking for friends? Because I have another two boys who arrived in Dominiere on the 1st, one of them on the system and the other not, I have them in the other room."
You what?? Really??
"The boy who's registered on the system is one Derek Taylor, is he yours?"
YES
"So they're probably both with you. Should I tell you about Dominiere now, or bring them out here and tell all of you at once?"
Can. Can we do that? Bring them out?? 'Cause that just sounds more convenient.
"Eh, you'd be surprised. Bigger groups mean slower information. It's often more efficient to distribute the information to a few and let it spread organically."
fentzy "Get them now. ..please."
lilith shrugged. "Alright. I'll need you to come along, for insurance."
o_o

11:41 PM
Down another corridor is a room containing large cages.
This doesn't seem humane.
"I don't write the policy. I see to it that they're fed. Will you wake them up and make sure they don't attack me as soon as I open the cell?"
Y.. yeah. o:
Hey! Danny! Derek!
..they're waking up. :D
Looking at us, wide-eyed.
..you had them share a cell?
"Yeah. Should I not have?"
..no?
"Well, sorry. I don't exactly have experience in imprisoning people. They don't write documentation on this stuff."
...that's. fair. o_o

11:43 PM
We've let them out of their cells. Gave a.. loose explanation of how we got here.
We're waiting for them to get out of the bathroom now.
..god, this is weird, isn't it.
let them out of cells. an unfair imprisonment. and we're just, like. here.
whatever. we're all together now.
just gotta ask about that damn town now.
then we can go.

11:45 PM
Computer room.
Danny and Bones are keeping their distance. I want to stand near Lilith to ask questions. Donnie and Fentzy are nearer to the boys.
lilith "Are we all good now? You want information now, yes?"
bones "I don't actually care right now. Like, I'm not exactly over the fact you kept us in a cage."
danny grunted.
lilith "Fair enough. I'll talk to Jordan over here, then."
aw, man. don't put me in the middle here.
fentzy "Maybe I can get them some coffee too?"
...danny said "please," and bones grunted this time.

11:46 PM
Now everyone's got a cup.
lilith "The first thing you need to know is that Dominiere is not a town. It's.. classified as a town-like."
everyone's giving her funny looks.
"It's a branching-off of an older fossil-- sorry, an older Fear-- that we call OVER THERE. It's like a.. magical.. city."
Oh, the Empty City?
"Colloquially, yes. The City is, was, that's an open question, let's go with 'is,' the City is a living thing, and like all living things it is capable of reproduction. It branches off into small town-likes, and sometimes those town-likes end up on Earth. I suspect the mechanism is like a daffodil's seeds carried by the wind, though this wind is more nebulous, maybe even metaphysical. But the point is, the town-like manifests on Earth, connects its roots to local roads, and starts growing."
bones "It's a.. baby Empty City?"
"Again, colloquially. Yes."
"That's. Hhhuh."
did you already know about the empty city?
"yeah. I'll tell you later."
lilith "Dominiere is one of these. We designate this stage of the life-cycle 'underscore.' Dominiere, as an offshoot of OVER THERE, is an underscore."
underscore. got it.
fentzy "I had tubes…"
..she can't finish.
Yeah, uh, we found out that things were happening to us while we slept.
lilith "Right. The tubes."
Was that, like. ....digestion.
"No. An underscore does not eat people. People are an underscore's blood vessels. Those tubes' primary purpose is to transfer fluids into you, to adapt your body to serve as a blood cell for the operation of the whole. The fact that fluids are also removed from you is just basic physics: You are already complete packages, you are already full, so to transfer fluids in will necessarily displace the same volume out of you."
donnie "And. That happened to all of us?"
"The transfer happens during sleep, with no witnesses."
"Every night?"
"Every time that a body sleeps in an underscore."
sweet jesus.
danny "So I'm fine, then?"
It looks like it.
danny pumped his fist.
lilith "Dominiere is a special case, in that it is an underscore that we are actively monitoring. We've tagged the transfer fluid, so every time it enters a body we've got that person in our system. That's how I was able to look at your levels, Jordan."
Ah. I don't know how to feel about that now. o_o
"It's disconcerting, yes. I don't envy you. I'd never spend a night in that town."
fentzy, pale, "Are we.. okay with this shit inside us?"
lilith "You'd need to stay in Dominiere for a lot longer to be properly subsumed. I believe the process is on the order of years? Though even staying for a month would have physiological effects, you'd become used to the transfer fluid and find it easier to convince yourself to stay. You guys weren't even there for a week. Your bodies will have been fighting it off and generating more blood to replace it."
The stomach bugs! O:
donnie "Why would anyone stay past the first week when there's such a violent reaction?"
lilith "You had convinced yourselves these were stomach bugs, from the sounds of it. Most people respond similarly. The early stages of the process are fuelled by social mechanisms moreso than physiological. The people there are nice. The economy self-sustains."
bones "Wait, so. What about those people. Who were they? What about the people in the pods?"
Yeah! What about the pod people?
"Those are a highly classified project. They're not the standard underscore ecosystem, I'll tell you that much."
bones "You imprisoned us for even seeing them."
"And that's because they're highly classified. Highly. Classified."
…
…
"..and this is where we reach an impasse. Because I'm really not supposed to tell you about that project."
..but?
"But. I may need your help with something."
...do.
do you.
"Hm?"
Do you mean. Doctor Cloud?
"How do you know about Doctor Cloud?"
A Fear told me.
"What did they tell you?"
That. That he's a valuable enough part of your group that the Genera is willing to go to great lengths to help save his soul from transformation? Or corruption, or something bad. Something about an abyss.
..she's blinking. "I'm sorry, I'm legitimately surprised that one of the fossils knew enough to tell you all this."
Hey, I'm surprised the gods are rather eager to tell me things at all!
"Well. Yes. There is a Doctor Cloud, that's his codename. His department is researching potential insights into the nature of Xanadu, though in that search he discovered another project that's.. the details are beyond even my clearance, though there have been declassifications of details that are critical to being able to assist him in his dilemma."
There's an abyss, and he's trying to learn about it, but it's learning him back.
"...colloquially."
Yes.
donnie "Where is Doctor Cloud? Can we meet him?"
"He's in the UK."
..but the UK is all one giant rabbit hole. Uh, Door.
"You.. are way too knowledgeable on these things. Yes, the UK is inside Xanadu right now. You cannot get to that branch of the Genera."
...I wonder.
"No, look, listen, let me tell you what I need from you."
Yeah, okay. Sorry.
"There's a." raised her finger. lowered it. puzzled. "How do I say this colloquially."
…
"There's a monster in these labs. I need you to capture it."
o_o
fentzy "Not kill it?"
"It is not killable."
o__o
danny "Not…"
donnie "..killable?"
lilith "Many have tried. We've been getting Genera security from the US branch-- the.. Indiana... fuck it, the US branch-- coming in waves, whatever they can spare. I think you killed one of the waves."
sorry
"That was not the first wave, that was in fact the..." checks computer "..thirty-first. I believe my request has been approved, and the next wave will have military-grade weaponry."
huh.
bones "So why don't you just wait for them to arrive? What can we do?"
"Indeed, that's the million-dollar question. What can you do? You bold assortment of inquisitive, resourceful, strangely knowledgeable teenagers. I honestly don't know what you can do."
...hm.
"Isn't that exciting?"

(Attached is an entry from the desk of Black Plague: “The Musician sat on the floor in an aisle in the local library, thin and hoarse and surrounded by books and papers. I picked him up by the shoulders, and he tried to hiss at me to leave him alone.
----We have a meeting to go to, c'mon.
-----We don't need a meeting; I've already sent them after it!
----What are you talking about? Grimaldi, for fuck's sake, don't make a scene.
He vanished, manifesting himself behind me in an attempt to appear superior.
-----I will cause whatever I like. I am the creator here now.
Then he disappeared once more, and I couldn't find him again.
It was then that I heard a meow. The Omen purred from atop a shelf, clearly pleased by things falling apart. Naturally, when I reached over to grab it, it jumped away and ran out the door.
Frustrated, I followed it through several streets-- stopping traffic in its tracks and getting many glares from drivers-- until we reached an alleyway out of view. Then it looked at me, a terribly human smile on its face, one paw now in red fur. It muttered fiendishly,
----Alright, I'd say that's enough cat-and-mouse.
-----You can talk?!
----No, no, of course not. The Omen can't. I'm Ten Speed. I watch.
The thing began licking itself.
I could think of nothing to say.
Eventually, it continued.
----I've been watching your pantheon for a while now, moving a thing or two behind the scenes-- never doing much, only ever giving people what they want,
it smirked.
----You could say I'm a good samaritan. And you have been a particular interest of mine, Plague. I hear the trust that humans have in you is inversely proportionate to your status within this clique. A species loves you, your peers don't.
Started to circle me.
----All because of the Azathoth incident? No, that wouldn't make sense. There must be something further back, some quarrel, some issue, that effected your separation and virtual independence. No? Yes? Am I on the right track? Feel free to speak up.
Still, nothing came out of my mouth. More than familiar with how to negotiate with someone who clearly wants to keep talking, I just let the conversation unfold while silently piecing things together in my head. This 'Ten Speed' character, whoever it was, is not the Omen. Probably some kind of bodysnatcher, like the Devil. Related?
----Would you prefer if I simply told you? This is all because of the Genera.
It stopped walking, in front of me, to look me in the eye.
----Do you feel nothing at that? Bridging the gap between human and Fear!
Silence.
----My, you really are passionate about it.
I finally replied.
-----The policies of my platform have no bearing on the affairs or lives of my colleagues. They know this.
----They do? Ah, of course, some of them might. The Omen here certainly does, though it's not telling anyone. The Omen exists to supplement, after all, not to contribute.
-----Will this dialogue take long? I have a thing to attend.
It hopped atop a trash can to better look at me.
----I've said all I wanted to.
Stuck out its red paw.
----Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Black Plague.
I looked at it for a second before reluctantly shaking hands. Or paws. My hand, its paw.
-----Likewise, Ten Speed.
Respect the eldritch.
Then the red paw disappeared and the Omen hopped into my arms, rubbing its head against my body as a cat again.
And I turned and ran to catch the most important meeting of 2014.”)