Heart Game: Hurricane - Run 1

[idolpro]

[At first, all is still; all is silent.]

[The only light is the light from your phone, where a checklist has taken over the screen. It reads:]

___ Make a change
___ Repair something
___ Protect something
___ Find the True Heart
___ Survive

[Then the light comes up, bright, and then brighter, and you are in…]

Comments

HQ

[offontherightfoot]

[The chairs are metal, half covered in exposed wiring and blinking lights. They've got a metric ton of hard edges, and a footrest like the kind at the dentist, and if there were restraints they'd look like something out of a sci-fi slasher flick.]

[You're sitting in one, and the rest of the room, all around you, is the sleek, futuristic white lines of what is undeniably a lab, all monitor screens and tech.]

[Intensity is here, keeping an eye on the holo-screen that reads INCOMING ATTACK: 4:00:00. The numbers are counting down.]

[There is one exit, to the NORTH.]

Re: HQ

[firstworldproblem]

[Well, this was not the way he planned on spending his morning. Though in terms of wakefulness, well, he's had stranger forays into awareness with a new vessel.

He gives the room a cursory glance, but his eyes can't help to be drawn to the holo-screen.]

My, how ominous.

[Pushing himself out of the chair.]

Re: HQ

[stakesthesame]

[ winces at the light, blinking hard, and staring without recognition at the whole area... well. Intensity's familiar, she guesses.

She'll wander over. ]

Yo Nerdlord! What's all this scifi junk?

Re: HQ

[marsascending]

[ hhhhhuh.

well, she gets up, straightens her clothes, and goes to look at the screen. time to bully Intensity. ]

Would you mind updating me?

The Hallway

[offontherightfoot]

[The hallway that you step into is sleek and white, brightly lit.]

[There are exits to the SOUTH, EAST, WEST, AND NORTH. There is also a door that reads CLOSED FOR REPAIRS and another that reads STAIRS TO ROOF.]

Re: The Hallway

[marsascending]

[ What about this door seems closed for repairs. She's supposed to repair something, right. ]

Re: The Hallway

[firstworldproblem]

[He was told to go EAST! So EAST he goes.]

Re: The Hallway

[stakesthesame]

[ ...

to the stairs to the roof, first ]

Re: The Hallway

[firstworldproblem]

[Guess we are back here and going towards the CLOSED FOR REPAIRS.]

Re: The Hallway

[firstworldproblem]

[Emet sure is getting a lot of mileage despite his shuffling ways.

WEST!]

Out of Order

[offontherightfoot]

[This room has seen better days. In stark contrast to the sci-fi chic of the rest of the area, the walls are crumbling plaster with exposed brick underneath. The sole window is boarded up; the entire room smells of rot and things long forgotten.]

[There are exits to the NORTH and SOUTH.]

[Hurricane is standing in the exit to the NORTH, with a broom, clearing out the debris from the crumbling wall. By his feet are a bucket and a pile of bricks.]

Re: Out of Order

[marsascending]

[ wow, yeah, this is extremely out of order. ]

Ah, Hurricane?

Do you need help with this?

Re: Out of Order

[firstworldproblem]

How unexpected.

What are you doing?

Re: Out of Order

[offontherightfoot]

[He is no longer standing with a broom or bucket; he hovers anxiously in the doorway, pointing north.]

That way.

But like... be careful, dude. It's bad in there.

The Hangar

[offontherightfoot]

[The hangar is gigantic; overhead, a high ceiling set with unfinished beams stretches up for what feels like miles. The walls are sleek and metal, inset with screws, and the area is alive with mechanics and engineers – with prep teams and a medical crew, standing by just in case.]

[A gaggle of techs in white lab coats stand clustered around a holo-display scrolling endless data.]

[Laid out in their docks, compact metal suits are on display for repairs. They are sleek and brightly painted, designed for show and function both; here is one of red and black, bulky and sturdy; here is one in sea glass green and brushed chrome, streamlined and minimal. A balding man in glasses and a lab coat stands near the green suit, taking notes on a holo-screen projected in the air nearby.]

[There are quite a few suits, altogether; workers buzz around them, poking into the exposed wires, already hard at work to mend dents and gashes in the metal.]

[One suit in particular catches your eye.]

[There are exits to the WEST and OUT THROUGH THE HANGAR DOORS.]

Re: The Hangar

[firstworldproblem]

[Going to the particular suit that catches his eye, but also trying to motion for a lab tech to come over.]

I wonder if you are more talkative than our dear friend in the control room. How does it work?

Though if you have in your possession as mundane as a gun in these halls, I would like to acquire that as well.

The Rooftops

[offontherightfoot]

[From the roof, you can see half the city, a gleam of neon lights that stretches away beneath the night sky. The air up here feels freer - more open.]

[You love this city, with a fierce and sudden swell of affection. Maybe everything else is falling apart around your ears, but the night air and the sound of cars in the street below fills your heart and lifts your spirits.]

[The stairs back into the building are to the SOUTH-WEST, the open hangar door lies to the SOUTH, or you can head NORTH and take the fire escape down to street level.]

Re: The Rooftops

[stakesthesame]

[ ... huh.

She takes a moment to look out over the city, considering that feeling-- no wonder he's so at home among the buildings in Tokyo-F-- before hesitating.




and takes the fire escape down. she won't be too long, surely. ]

The City at Night

[offontherightfoot]

[The city's alive at night.]

[The holo-billboards blink and dazzle, and the crowd is lively, pedestrians pressed in on all sides of you, a low hum of background voices. All around you, the buskers in the arcades bellow "Hai, irasshai!" A flashing sign proclaims all-night karaoke, and the music that rolls out through the door is so loud you can feel the bass thrumming in your chest.]

[There are exits to the ARCADE, the KARAOKE PLACE, NORTH, and SOUTH.]

Re: The City at Night

[stakesthesame]

[



















KARAOKE TIME, south. just one song. surely this will be fine. ]

The Karaoke Room

[offontherightfoot]

[The room’s awash in color, all LED glare and backlit glow. The tube lights that rim the edges are neon purple and electric blue, and the screen is bright with hues that please the eye. There is no ceiling; up above, there is only open sky, the stars stretching out into the night sky, millions and millions of them. Everything smells like fresh, open air, the sweet-sharp tang of alcohol, and the fried meat pies on the plate in the center of the table.]

[There are a couple of half-empty hot toddies laid out here, and a thick book that lists the songs, but the only person here is a boy sitting on the booth, fiddling with the handheld vid screen to input something new.]

[He's built like a tank - can't be a day over fifteen, but his shoulders are massively broad, and he looks like he could bench-press a person without breaking a sweat. His expression is mild, though, and his eyes are focused on his task; he seems wholly intent on inputting a new song.]

Re: The Karaoke Room

[stakesthesame]

[ eeeeheheheheehehe-- oh

heads over to him, looking over his shoulder ]

Hey, muscles! Whatcha lookin' for?

The Ominous Hallway

[offontherightfoot]

[The hallway is dark. It's darker than dark; it's so dark it seems to swallow even the idea that there can be light. It stretches a long, long way into the distance.]

[There, at the very end, is what looks to be a doorway.]

[There are exits to the NORTH and SOUTH.]

Re: The Ominous Hallway

[marsascending]

[ well this is cool and fun.

but also now she has a gun!!!

she keeps going NORTH although she is considering ways to turn bullets into light sources which she just nat 20'd on so she's probably got some good ideas, ]

The City in the Day

[offontherightfoot]

[The streets of Tokyo-F are clean and lively. Here, the plants are real, but the buildings are empty, just like in the real city. The people walking past are faintly blurry, more the idea of a crowd than a crowd in actuality. You may catch sight of faces you know; you may even catch sight of you.]

[Near the exit to the WEST, the streets become dingier and less bright, the buildings damaged. To the NORTH, you catch sight of someplace you think you know.]

[There are three exits: NORTH, WEST, and EAST.]

Re: The City in the Day

[firstworldproblem]

[Oh how delightful! If he sees himself, he'll give himself a pat on the back before disappearing back into the crowd. He's got plans and so little time. He needs to get back to the hanger before the clock strikes midnight and they all turn into pumpkins.]

[NORTHWARD!]

The Hotel

[offontherightfoot]

[You know exactly where this is; it looks the same as it does in the real world. The trees out front of the JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Shinjuku sway gently in the breeze, and through the windows you can see the lobby, lit by a warm yellow glow.]

[There are exits to the NORTH, EAST, AND SOUTH.]

[The DOOR TO THE HOTEL is also open.]

Re: The Hotel

[firstworldproblem]

[EAST!

Sorry he isn't smelling the roses in this wonderful place. He's got a game tower to go to and an angel to inquire about. And that is where he is betting he'll get information.

Or he'll get brutally maimed.

Have to take changes sometimes.]

The Game Tower

[offontherightfoot]

[The Game Tower looms above you like it always does, gleaming glass and steel. The doors are open, wide and inviting. It looks like a game is on.]

[Inside, the lobby has been cleared away, replaced with a wide, open space and polished black marble tile that stretches from one wall to the other, across the entire first floor of the building. It's utterly empty - except for the plush, high-backed armchair where Azzy sits, legs crossed, lounging and amused.]

[As soon as you step into the door, a sense of crushing dread descends over you - dread, and anxiety so strong you feel like you might be ill.]

You were almost late.

[There is one exit, to the WEST. As you watch, it closes.]

Re: The Game Tower

[firstworldproblem]

I wasn't aware the lack of functionality was a cardinal sin.

[This is fine. This is fine.]

You seem like a man that doesn't like to waste time. I came here in search of the Angel. I'd like to ask him some questions.

Though I imagine you had your own agenda planned.

The Dungeon

[offontherightfoot]

[You're falling, and falling, and falling, through endless dark -- and then suddenly, the dark pushes back, just slightly, and you're chained up against a dungeon wall, hands bound above you and manacles on your ankles.]

[There's a figure beside you, easily seven feet tall. He's wearing a mask -- an elongated goat skull, with long, twisted horns. His black cloak hides almost all of their body, and he's holding pliers, but even his hands are gloved as if to hide anything identifying. When he speaks, his voice is filtered, warped as if coming through a loudspeaker. ]

Are we all ready for the show to begin?

Re: The Dungeon

[marsascending]

[ ...ah. ]

I think you're missing a crucial component.

We're on the same side, after all, aren't we? So I can't help you.

San Francisco

[offontherightfoot]

[The city isn't standing anymore. It's possible to see what it used to be: pastel house-fronts and picturesque windows, and far away down in the water, a single strut of the Golden Gate Bridge is still standing.]

[But it's in the minority, now. All around you are the leftovers of shattered buildings, chunks of concrete and broken glass, dessicated corpses that lay where they've fallen.]

[You're tired, and you're hungry, and all you want to do is rest.]

[But you can't, can you? There's still so much to do.]

[There are exits to the WEST and SOUTH.]

[To the EAST, there's a large church, still mostly standing.]

Re: San Francisco

[firstworldproblem]

[Shaking his head. Why is everyone's world full of such sorrow? Such tragedy?

He continues EAST.]

[offontherightfoot]

[The church is still mostly in one piece, though the stained glass windows facing you have all been shattered. Around to the side, you can just make out the shape of several open graves, dug into the hard soil.]

[In front of the church stands a man with a megaphone in long, white robes. Or at least, they used to be white. They’re kind of a sickly grey now, especially near the hem, where they’re so caked with grime they come close to black.]

[He lifts the megaphone and speaks into it:]

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

[There is one exit, to the WEST.]

[offontherightfoot]

[The voice on the intercom says:]

Countdown complete in ten minutes. Brace for incoming.

[The sky is a nightmare vision by now, like some horrific dreamscape, swallowed up by deep red and bruise purple, the colors radiating out from a central point like a spreading infection. The clouds crowd out any hint of the sun, so thick they seem solid, and they churn and shift and pulse in ways that have nothing to do with the breeze.]