[CLOSED] In the heart of Daibazaal

[zarkoff]

Who: Everyone who signed up for the Galra Kidnapping Plot
When: November 26th - December 5th
Where: Galran Central Command in the Outlands
What: The Galra have decided to gather more intel on Daybreak Academy’s fighting forces. People go missing and end up in an unexpected place. Please see this post for more details!
Warnings: So many. Torture, gore, human experimentation, general misery and suffering.

You aren’t sure what happened. Something is wrong with your head -- your thoughts are all jumbled and melding into one another in a disorienting fog. You don’t know where you are or why your arms and legs are in cuffs, but it’s all leading to the same conclusion: something has gone very wrong.

Comments

THE CELL

[zarkoff]

As you look around you see that you’re in a large pentagonal room that’s illuminated in dim purple light. Though it’s difficult to see in here, a determined enough examination would show that there’s only one way in and one way out: a heavy door with a slotted opening in the bottom where meals (if they could even be called that) are pushed through every twelve hours or so.

For those trying to listen to what’s going on outside… the sound of marching footsteps is near constant. It seems your cell is under heavy guard and occasionally, a few phrases spoken in an ancient Outlands language are audible. The door itself, however, is only opened under very specific circumstances and there’s a good chance you won’t like those circumstances.

[Feel free to post a top level for your character here if you wish to thread out any shenanigans with fellow captives for the event!]

[onebetter]

[ What an assortment of people in this cell... When James wakes up on December 2nd, a lot of the other prisoners have already been there for days, but everything is brand new for James.

He looks around in horror, meeting familiar face after familiar face. Not everyone here is people he's spoken to before, but they're all from school and.... he doesn't know if this is comforting or if it only furthers his horror.

His heart is going what feels a mile per minute. ]

.... please tell me someone knows where we are.

[hatesdeerstalkers]

...Unfortunately, I cannot say that I've been able to figure that out.

[He should at least recognize the math professor, though Moriarty looks as if he's seen better days...what with one of his arms missing. He also looks rather pale and tired, as if he's been constantly forced to some kind of brink...

...Yet, he's still incredibly calm.]

All I can assume is that we're in the Outlands, from the snippets of language I've been able to pick up.

[hawkwardness]

[Another new arrival on December 2nd. On top of being in the cell, he's in a birdcage. A cage that might be large for a budgie or lovebird... and very much isn't for a hawk. Why the double confinement? Is one little bird that dangerous or is it simply for easier transport?

He jerks awakes, feathers immediately standing on end once he realizes this is not his perch. Not his room, not where he usually wakes up. Danger, danger, danger, moans the hawk mind. Puffing up makes him seem larger, but he's still so small...]

< No! No cages! Let me out of here! >

[It's hard to resist flapping instinctively. There's no room for that, he'd sprain a wing... Morphing doesn't occur to him, brain still foggy from whatever knocked him out. He starts to gnaw and tear at the wire of the cage instead.]

[inkedspell]

[Sarona is also new that day, but she's already assessing everything as soon as she has enough focus to be able to. She even rubs at the tattoo over her left breast, getting the rune to activate sooner and heal whatever they had done to her. Tobias' struggling is enough to get her to push herself to her feet, leaning on the wall just a bit as she shakes the fog off. With her mind fully in order now, she reaches out to grab the cage.]

Calm down. We'll get you out, just calm down.

[The metal-bending inscription on her right arm makes it very easy to manipulate the cage until she can open it, but she won't do it until she knows he won't struggle and hurt himself.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Though Moriarty has been kept here very long - long enough for plenty of people they've kidnapped to come and go - it seems he's disappeared on december 3rd.

...Except he hasn't. Instead, the man shoved into the cell looks incredibly similar to Arthur Bell, except for his gray hair, blue eyes, and missing arm. Stumbling inside - and showing he's just as tall as the vampire - he practically collapses against a wall of the cell, skin paler than it was yesterday, when he still looked like a 50-something old man.]

...Agh...How are...all of you doing, so far...?

[Even his voice sounds much younger, if still british.]

...It seems - they're either - getting rid of subjects, or...placing them back...considering the pattern of those who vanish...so far...

[Talking clearly seems to be difficult, but he's still trying.]

Perhaps...to stage...something.

[onebetter]

[ James blinks through the dim light of the cell as his brain tries to compute what's happening. By all means, this should be a newcomer, but he really doesn't talk like one. Maybe Mr. Bell is just that put-together?

Though his own interrogation has left him in a sorry state, James moves over to assist Mr. Bell(?) in settling down. ]

Stage... what? What's the pattern? Though please speak slowly, you're gravely hurt.

Zagreus - November 26th

[zarkoff]

[An unconscious Zagreus is dragged on his knees into a large room, limp body suspended between two large sentries.

A high ranking Galran commander standing behind the sentries kneels before a large black throne where the Emperor is seated.]

This one proved difficult to subdue, but it is done, Sire. What would you have us do with this specimen?

[The emperor furrows his brow, rising to his feet.]

You have served well, Commander Sendak. Send him to the druids. Have them examine his constitution. See it it can't be... replicated.

[Sendak rises to his feet]

Vrepit Sa.

[But as they turn to go, Zagreus will find his strength returning to him much sooner than anticipated.]

[adjectiveprince]

Mortals sure liked tranquilizers. And they sure didn’t work well on Zagreus. He blinked a lot as the world slowly swam back into focus. That was twice now that he’d been knocked out and imprisoned since he’s escaped the underworld and he was getting tired of it.

So once he felt like he was alert enough, he focused his power and a wave of darkness seemed to roll out from him, causing all the lights to shatter and go out, plunging the whole room into pitch black. Zagreus wasn’t sure if these people could see in the dark but he sure could and wasn’t going to give them any advantage he could avoid.

From the center of the darkness came the sound of metal shrieking as it was bent out of shape by sheer strength, as he ripped his way free from the restraints. They may have bit off a bit more than they expected with a demigod.

[zarkoff]

[As the throne room plunges into darkness, the conversation between the two Galra comes to an abrupt halt.]

Impossible!

[Sendak snarls, but his confusion does not last more than a handful of seconds. One doesn't rise to the tops of the Galra elite fighting forces by being so easily thrown by their enemies. Of course, having a cyborg eye capable of detecting thermal signatures might also help there.]

Sentries! Secure the prisoner!!

[The two automated sentries on either side of Zagreus raise their rifles at the prisoner. With his own ability to see in the dark, Zagreus will note that the sentries too, aren't aiming blindly. but aiming directly at him. Seems they might have infrared scanners on them as well.

As for the emperor though.... he's gone very quiet indeed, seemingly content to observe first hand what this fighter from Daybreak Academy is capable of. Unreassuringly, there seems almost amused by this turn of events.]

Jolyne - November 27th

[zarkoff]

[When Jolyne wakes, she finds herself sadly alone and without her purse, locked in what appears to be a glass observatory being studied by a masked druid that periodically takes notes on a virtual display screen.]

Subject Jolyne Cujoh has regained consciousness.

[The words are broadcast into her room, and from her side of the glass, Jolyne will observe the druid in question raising a hypodermic needle containing a light blue serum.]

Commencing interrogation.

[strings_theory]

[There's not much she remembers about before she ended up here, other than her purse is nowhere to be found and she's alone. Fuck. That means that Jonathan has gone missing and she can't stay here. She knows she can't.

She's hissing to herself as she tries to push herself to stand and the second she hears those words and sees that face, she's launching herself at the glass to try and break it. At first it's just her regular fists before she manages to pull Stone Free to her and gaining that power as well.

But it doesn't seem to be doing much and she's giving it one last punch, eyes narrowed at the druid in front of her.]

Eat my fucking ass.

[zarkoff]

[The druid's face is covered by a mask, it's expression impossible to read while Jolyne and Stone Free go ham on the glass. It doesn't speak for a long moment, simply observing her strength. Eventually there's a low chuckle of amusement, though surely it'll be pretty one sided.]

You humans come up with such interesting sayings.

[But if Jolyne and Stone Free continue to pound away, they'll be rewarded with a small crack in the glass.]

Jonathan - November 27th

[zarkoff]

[The entity found in Jolyne;s purse was an unexpected anomaly and one that required immediate address. The sentry responsible for documenting their prisoner's personal belongings did not know how to handle this particular item and the purse had gone from low risk to high alert in a matter of seconds.

A druid is the first to appear on the scene, appearing to glide rather than walk.

But where the sentry had seemingly blanked and auto-initiated some kind of emergency protocol, the druid is extremely quick to use brutal force as he deems fit. A dark ball of magical energy crackles at his finger tips as he speaks.]

What are you?

[standless]

[On the one hand, being shoved bodily into a purse for his own protection was unexpected.

On the other, being rudely pulled out of it to be documented was...well. Equally unexpected. What's more is that Jonathan's hamon doesn't quite go through what he wants it to go through, what with the sentry being...well. A sentry.

Jonathan, who has yet to make a single word, decides to immediately go with plan 'B'.

(The B is for Bat)

Cue a series of loud, 'scared' squeaks as he releases a bunch of hamon like an out of control flashlight. (The hamon after all, would undoubtedly have been seen by now. But his intelligence? Fortunately Not.)]

James Moriarty - November 28th

[zarkoff]

[When Moriarty comes to, he'll find himself firmly strapped down to on an operating table, an almost blinding light aimed at his face. Above him are two sentries being supervised by a masked druid. The sentries do not speak as they work, but if Moriarty tries to move around to get a better look at what's going on, he'll observe that the sentries are very busy indeed. One places sterile surgical sheets under Moriarty's arm and once that's done, the other wipes the exposed limb down with something cold and gelatinous in consistency.

But whatever that substance is, it doesn't stay cold for long. In fact, it starts burning within seconds of application. The acrid stench of burnt flesh fills the laboratory as the corrosive venom begins to dissolve the epidermis. If the smell bothers any of the occupants in the room, it doesn't show.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Ah.

Well.

He'd been walking back from the tea house - wonderful little place, that - when he'd suddenly been knocked out.

Waking up tied down wasn't an unfamiliar circumstance for him - actually, for a moment, he'd almost thought an old associate had somehow figured he hadn't died and come to take revenge, except...

...Ah, that's a druid. Definitely. And sentries? Hm.

So this was some kind of Outlands thing. Watching with calm eyes, he feels the coolness of the substance - then the warmth - and watches with interest as his skin begins to dissolve, though he crinkles his nose a bit at the smell.]

Human flesh burning is never a pleasant smell, is it?

[He knows they probably won't answer, but it's something.]

Ana Rose - Dec 30th

[zarkoff]

[When the sentries come to collect Ana from the cell, they drag her into a smaller entirely mirrored room. The purple lights are harshly bright in here, and once the door it shut, the reflections of her in the mirrors are disorienting, to say the least. It's also quite clear that these are one way mirrors. Everything she does, her captors can see, but she is unable to see them.

A garbled voice comes through a speaker embedded behind a mirror in the ceiling.]

Subject has been identified and confirmed as Anastasia Rose of Daybreak Academy.

[A second garbled voice is audible.]

This is Commander Sendak authorizing initiating protocol A08-B.

Vrepit Sa.

[There's a pause, the sound of chairs scraping against the floor and then:]

How does the institution of Daybreak Academy plan on stopping Nightfall, Anastasia?

[highelves]

[ a primal fear surges through ana's entire body as the sentry collects her from her cell. she doesn't put up a struggle out of fear for her own safety and lets them drag her into the smaller room. it scrapes her knees and her legs and it hurts, but when she's locked into the room full of mirrors...she panics. her body starts to tremble.

commander sendak. god, assuming she gets out of here alive, she won't let him live this down.

his question does give her pause. self-preservation instincts are telling her to say something, but she thinks about her friends back at the academy. she thinks about lance.

ana stares at her feet and says nothing. ]

Sarona - December 2nd

[zarkoff]

[When the door to the cell opens, Sentries aren't the ones who grab her, but two fully armed Galra soldiers. It seems they've done some level of research into her Rune Guild and aren't about to risk her pulling some shenanigans with their automated guards. One points a laser rifle at her face while the other yanks her up onto her feet.

As they march her into the hallway, the rifle is pressed against the back of her neck -- a warning not to try and escape. The room they take her to is a small laboratory, and they sit her down at the bench. From another door, a masked druid and Commander Sendak join them.]

Leave us.

[Sendak commands, and the two soldiers that brought her in exit. Sendak himself does not hold a weapon in his hands, but his arm, as Sarona can see, is an advanced prosthetic. The threat is there one way or another.]

The InkMetal Forge is well known for their unique abilities.

[He places a small laer rifle at the bench in front of her.]

Give me a demonstration. Don't try anything funny. The two that were brought with you will not like it if you do.

[James Griffin and Tobias, he means.]

[inkedspell]

[She had not expected to wake up in a holding cell, nor did she expect to be kidnapped by evil Lycans. This is the kind of thing that normally happens to other people at the school, not Sarona. She's a Rune Guard--a damned good one--but not really one with a lot of involvement with Lycans.

When she's taken to the lab and forced down on the bench, things start to make a lot more sense. Sarona stares at the rifle, hands kept calmly in front of her. Getting mad wouldn't help, yelling at him wouldn't help, but she doesn't look scared either. She stares up at him, tense, waiting.]

I'm guessing you mean a demonstration of my work, but as you can see you took my pack. [The one she always carries with her, with her tools, needles, pens, and inks. She doesn't know where it is but she hopes she can stall them.] I don't work with just any tools.

Tobias - December 2nd

[zarkoff]

[The Sentries come for Tobias, plucking his little birdcage off the ground and march it down long narrow hallways and into an elevator that goes underground. When the doors open again, Tobias will see that they've entered a more more secure facility with some rather reassuring noises coming from behind the doors they pass. Eventually, they reach the end of the hall, and a Sentry enters a code to enter the room.

It's a well lit laboratory with two druids standing on either side of a operating table. The bird cage is deposited on the table, of course. A virtual viewscreen is activated and a druid begins to speak aloud.]

Subject Tobias. Emperor Zarkon wishes to see the true extent of your alleged abilities. Will you comply?

[hawkwardness]

[Morphing has not worked. Tearing at the wire of the cage with beak and talons doesn't work. There is no escape. If someone is looking for him, how will they ever find him? He's a wild animal. He was snatched up while hunting, as easily as a bigger predator could have eaten him. They must have assumed him for dead by now.

He's a mess. No food, no water, and he hasn't been grooming himself. A tattered bundle of feathers. The cage alone would be enough to slowly drive him mad. No warm thermals, no distractions, no beautiful empty sky to provide some escape from his own thoughts. No distractions. Sometimes it feels like he's suffocating. The wire closing in on him, as he gasps for every breath, feeling as if there isn't enough oxygen in the room and wiling himself not to scream mentally or shriek verbally. It's all in his mind, but that doesn't mean it isn't real.

The cage is swinging, he notices in a dazed way. He's being moved. What does that mean? He says nothing, head jerking around as he takes in what scenery there is as the hateful cage is carried. Cages. Walls. Doors. All boundaries should be destroyed, in his opinion. Let every single building cease to exist.

It comes to his attention that he's being addressed. Somehow they know his name. He struggles to his feet, glaring in his fierce hawk manner at the druid.]

< No! No! Fuck your emperor! >

[Seems he still has some fight in him after all.]

James Griffin - December 2nd

[zarkoff]

[Much like Sarona and Tobias before him, the Sentries eventually come and grab James from his cell to drag him roughly to a smaller interrogation cell. A rifle is kept pointed at his back as a reminder not to try anything stupid as they walk through a narrow hallway and the rifle is not pointed away until James is seated on an examination chair.

As soon as he is seated, the chair locks his arms and legs into place, keeping him from moving at will. The door opens behind them and a Galra soldier enters along with a druid. The sentries step back, then exit the room entirely as Sendak waves them away. He wastes no time in speaking.]

Subject James Griffin. You will answer my questions or suffer the consequences. What plans does Daybreak Academy currently have in place to prevent the coming of Nightfall?

[onebetter]

[ James knew something like this might happen. It would be foolish to assume that Daybreak Academy is safe after everything that happened and continues to happen on campus. The school obviously does not have the power to keep its students guarded, no matter how much it boosts them. And yet, James never really thought he'd find himself in the Outlands, in chains.

He feels small. A similar kind of small he'd felt on the battlefield in Australia, running for his life. A constrained kind of small where he can't move (literally) and can't breathe (figuratively). He's terrified.

But he'll be damned if he shows it. ]

That's not for you to know.