deal_me_in: (That's good right?)
Cayde-6 ([personal profile] deal_me_in) wrote in [community profile] revivalproject2020-11-23 09:19 pm

โ™ค Like Moths to a Flame

WHO: Cayde-6, Jonathan Sims, and Tony Stark
WHERE: The Green Quadrant
WHAT: ...IS THAT BLINKY LIGHT
WHEN: Sometime this weekish
WARNINGS: N/A - Will update as necessary


It had been a mystery that had consistently nagged at the Exo ever since he'd first noticed it. Taking up residence in the clocktower had only verified that he hadn't just been seeing things one evening, and every time he looked off in that particular direction of the city, the blue, intermittent glow beckoned, or perhaps taunted was the better term. He'd get to it, he promised himself.

Naturally he'd had it in his head that he'd try checking it out alone at first. That was back then, and being without his Ghost, he supposed it would be better to exercise maybe a little more caution than he tended to. He was sure that if he'd left a note saying where he'd gone, certain people might be upset with him. Clearly the answer then was to invite them along, and he'd be in good company. They had the time now, hopefully, and Cayde fully intended to make use of it before they found themselves suddenly on another extended space voyage. Jon had wanted to check out some places, and Tony, well surely he'd been curious about the light's source as well.

His message was pretty cut and dry so far as one could expect by way of invitations and intentions. He even hand-wrote them because he thought it'd be cute, and left them where he'd hoped his buddies might find them.

๐’ฎโ„ด ๐“Œ๐’ฝโ„ด'๐“ˆ ๐“Š๐“… ๐’ปโ„ด๐“‡ ๐’ถ ๐“๐’พ๐“‰๐“‰๐“โ„ฏ ๐’ถ๐’น๐“‹โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐“‰๐“Š๐“‡๐’พ๐“ƒโ„Š? โ„ฌโ„ฏ๐’ธ๐’ถ๐“Š๐“ˆโ„ฏ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ๐“‡โ„ฏ'๐“ˆ ๐’ถ ๐“…โ„ฏ๐“‡๐“ˆ๐’พ๐“ˆ๐“‰โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐“‰๐“๐“Ž โ„Š๐“โ„ด๐“Œ๐’พ๐“ƒโ„Š ๐’ท๐“๐“Šโ„ฏ ๐“๐’พโ„Š๐’ฝ๐“‰ โ„ด๐“Š๐“‰ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ๐“‡โ„ฏ ๐’ฟ๐“Š๐“ˆ๐“‰ ๐“ˆ๐’ธ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“‚๐’พ๐“ƒโ„Š ๐’ฎโ„ฐ๐’žโ„›โ„ฐ๐’ฏ๐’ฎ.
๐’ซ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐“‰๐“‰๐“Ž ๐“…๐“โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“ˆโ„ฏ โ„›๐’ฎ๐’ฑ๐’ซ ๐’ถ๐“‰ ๐“Žโ„ด๐“Š๐“‡ โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“‡๐“๐’พโ„ฏ๐“ˆ๐“‰ ๐’ธโ„ด๐“ƒ๐“‹โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐’พโ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐’ธโ„ฏ. ๐’ณ๐’ช๐’ณ๐’ช ๐’ž๐’ถ๐“Ž๐’นโ„ฏ


Like as there would be some light planning at best, although the Exo wasn't very big on plans, but Jon and Tony might have otherwise to say, especially considering their previous exploration endeavor. Cayde packed the essentials, which amounted to his trademark hand cannon, a few knives, and one of the guns that he'd claimed from the Graq. At least those didn't blow up in his face when he tried shooting them.

They'd met up in front of Cal's workshop and then made their way out towards the far northeastern corner of the city, well beyond its main roads.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-24 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
A handwritten invitation was the kind of behaviour expected from decent society, or that sounded like the kind of thing Tony's mom would say to him, and the communication was posted with glee on Tony's workbench where he could see it out of the corner of his eye while he fabricated a few more flares for the trip. The intention could very well have been sarcastic, he figured, after busting Cayde's balls for his last walkabout, but that certainly didn't make it any less effective. Maybe these flares should have been more explosive.

The rest of Tony's gear equally tended to the less offensive than Cayde's, though gathered just as swiftly and only involved Tony grabbing the heavy gauntlet from the loosely assembled pieces of the armor, and a brief detour by vast hole to retrieve a few lengths of rope that he carried looped around his shoulder. At the very least, they would probably have to use it to put a leash on Jon, which, if asked, was his excuse for keeping an arm around the easily-lured Archivist's shoulders after greeting, "Gentlemen, you're welcome," as he sauntered up to the workshop.
beholding_archivist: Do not take. Thanks. (Well if you say so...)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-24 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm just saying that xoxo may not be the most appropriate way to end such a message." Jon muses towards the Exo while checking the recorder in his hands, providing at least an idea of what the current conversation has been about so far.

Aside from his recorder, Jon has brought his little messenger bag packed with the usual mystery of items he deems potentially useful for their little adventure. Unfortunately, he can't offer any weaponry himself, if only for the fact that he doesn't exactly own anything of that sort. And that small knife he owns hardly counts.

Hearing the greeting in a not merely familiar, but also very welcome voice draws Jon's attention away from the recorder and he returns the greeting with a warm smile. "Hey." There is a small pause before he shifts his attention from Tony back to Cayde, both eyebrows raised. "That's everyone, then?"
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-25 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
While Tony usually made sure he wasn't the one arriving early and forced to make the small talk when he could have been doing something useful, like anything else, he did feel like he might have missed something and was mouthing to Jon, 'Swak?,' as Cayde lead them on. Out loud, he said lightly, "I thought it was a promise. I was looking forward to those XO's. What do you think this rope is for? Honestly, I've been mislead, I feel like you're taking advantage of me and now you're telling me I can't even count on you to keep the engines full. Absolute disaster, this whole production, pack it in."

This wasn't an area of the city Tony had been to at all, well outside of his typical range between the Forge and the core, so he moved slowly as he peered curiously around, lagging noticeably as they passed a large arrangement of stones and lifting his sunglasses to squint at the instalment.
beholding_archivist: (u sure.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-25 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't think sealed with a kiss is still current." Jon replies in Cayde's general direction, but with an added little shrug towards Tony before settling with a small sigh. "The hugs and kisses might still have it - But I don't believe anyone above the age of maybe- Fourteen? Uses those? Or anyone old enough to send emails or text messages rather than handwritten little notes meant to keep secret from their teacher."

Unlike Tony, Jon is rather familiar with this part of the city - And has, indeed, noticed the light they are about to seek out before. But given that the structure of the former library doesn't offer a direct line of sight to it, it hasn't been tempting him in a way it may have taunted the Exo.

Noticing one member of their small group already distracted by what Jon has come to assume to be some sort of Agrii graveyard, he pauses to allow Tony his closer look. There may not be much information about this particular area that he knows of yet, but he isn't going to deny anyone to at least look at something that has caught their interest.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-25 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
Fourteen was a bit harsh, Tony had to agree, making him snort as Cayde soldiered on and shoot Jon a sidelong look before asking very innocently, "You don't appreciate secret hugs and kisses?" His cheeky grin was slow enough to be startled away again when he finally looked back to Cayde, finding he had gained some distance in his focus while Tony was dallying with the local culture and teasing Jon. He urged Jon on to catch up with a nudge before Tony regretted not bringing a leash for each of them, glancing once more at the strange stones as he sauntered more easily down the muddy road. Cal would probably be the one with more answers about that kind of thing, anyway.

The whole area felt bleak enough, moreso than some other parts of the city as Tony had discovered them well after the others had begun to build their lives and structure out of crumbling architecture, that the transition to what was quickly revealing itself to be a stark desolation was subtle at first. The grass was already muddy and tattered from the long storm, barely in recovery, so as the last valiant tufts peaked through the cracked road, Tony hardly noticed their scraggled thinning. It was only when he threw a look over his shoulder, back the way they had come, that he considered the foliage that he had noticed taking over that rock sculpture hadn't migrated this far up the road. It was as though the wind had never blown the weeds this way.
beholding_archivist: (Could you burn that outside please?)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-25 09:32 am (UTC)(link)
To Jon, fourteen is reasonable enough. That's when children start turning into adults and such childish behavior tends to be left behind, right? Though he's not one to argue much further, especially not after Tony's comment leaves him flustered for a moment. A moment that lasts long enough to have his muttered response be equally parts too late as barely audible. "I'm not a big fan of secrets in general..."

But again, this may not be worth arguing about. Not at this moment anyway, given that they are leaving the stone structures behind already and are about to leave the road for a short trek through the cold remains of buildings that at one point were large structures filled with life. Jon has been climbing through a few of them already, hoping to find something- anything, really, to give him a better idea of who the Agrii were and how they lived.

But that was back when he still doubted to ever be able to talk to them.

"Right, so... Do we know if what we're headed to is still within the city itself or outside and just close?" Jon asks, the question primarily directed at Cayde, who easily has had the best view on their target from where he lives.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-25 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Jon's relative comfort with the area made it easy to navigate quickly, where Tony might have lingered and second guess a sinkhole, making him frown at Jon's back as he followed, not enamoured with the revelation that Jon was probably out here doing this on his own. At least Cayde could fly if he got stuck; Jon could hardly lift his own bodyweight. As they caught up with Cayde at what was starting to feel like the edge of the world, Tony touched Jon's back again, hooking one finger gently in his shirt to tug meaningfully as Tony glanced around back at the abandoned buildings, then at the barren expanse before them.

"It's a radio tower," Tony decided for them, or had decided a very long time ago, really, as he raised a hand to shade his eyes and try to squint through his glasses up at the light. That kind of blinking light in the sky wouldn't really be anything else on Earth, and their communication network was working somehow. It would make sense that it was the only place around here with functional power. Either that power source or the radio itself was looking unstable, though, and maybe always had been, for the narrow building to have been set back from the rest of the city so far; there wasn't a single shrub that Tony could see between them and the light. It wasn't clear how much of that the others had noticed, and Tony asked vaguely, "How much experience do you have with radiation poisoning?" If they came away from this picnic with nothing else, it might be the source of all of the glowing around here.
beholding_archivist: (u sure.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-26 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
It's true that the general daylight makes it harder to actually spot the light, but it does get more noticeable as they get nearer.

Jon is, in fact, rather inclined to keep moving forward. To reach the structure that has been beckoning them with its presence and finally figure out what exactly it does. But that little tug has him pause and looks up over his shoulder and at Tony in time to see the man looking from what's behind them to what lies ahead.

Taken that way, the difference is clear.

Pausing for a moment to process Tony's assumption and combine it with his question, Jon takes half a step backwards to bring him right next to Tony again and lightly nudge him with his own shoulder. A wordless gesture of reassurance. But before he gives a verbal response, he also sighs. "I keep saying that Temba reminds me a lot of Pripyat, but usually in reference to its state of decay. Now I- I haven't been there myself. But I'm aware that guided tours into that area are being done and it's been roughly three decades since the accident. Christ, I wasn't even born back then..." He trails off for a moment, but then picks back up. "Wha- What I'm trying to say is- We'll be fine." Another pause, and Jon adds: "Also I always thought the tower with the Communication Data Point would be a radio tower? It has the broadcasting equipment and everything... You think there may be two?"

Which is an honest question. Jon knows remarkably little about how such technology would have to be efficiently set up to work properly.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-26 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
Pripyat was hardly the only abandoned city Tony had seen in his life, so it wasn't the first comparison he had made, especially without the soviet aesthetic, but he pouted thoughtfully and could see how--"You weren't?" he asked in Jon's lull as he gathered his thoughts, not exactly looking for an answer but looking baffled nonetheless. He had worked out with some confidence that he must have been born before Jon, but that Jon hadn't been alive for any longer than three decades was more of a surprise. Clearly, it wasn't the time to make this discovery, because Cayde was soldiering on again and Tony had to trail after him despite the clearly hostile environment to explain, "The Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Did that not happen for you? The whole city was evacuated after the plant meltdown, probably still isn't livable by the year Cayde-1. Except for a few, uh, heroes. The power here isn't nuclear, but..."

What the power actually was remained a mystery. Without those answers, Tony was happy to quickly transition, "That other tower, that's observation. Air traffic control, maybe, shortwave. There's no active communications coming out of there, as far as I can tell--not on our network." It would have been nice to have that kind of information about this structure to relay, too, but trying to pick apart the noise to find the source was getting difficult, like everyone was suddenly sending each other massive files all at once. It made Tony squint behind his glasses again and give a scratch to the back of his neck, which didn't help when Jon zapped him, either, but he still did compulsively.
beholding_archivist: (u sure.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-26 09:02 am (UTC)(link)
Tony's surprise regarding the semi-revelation of Jon's age is met with a small shrug. Yes, he knows he looks much older than 32 and the past few years have aged him considerably, but there is little he can do about it.

With Cayde moving on ahead and Tony following while answering the questions raised by both Cayde and also Jon, the latter easily accepts his position of bringing up the rear for now, letting his eyes wander the nearby structures from this less familiar angle while listening to those answers.

He only pauses when he notices a movement at the corner of his field of vision - Or at least that's what he believes to notice. Once he turns his head to actively look for it, it's gone, leaving the Archivist with a frown. Though he doesn't mention it. Must have been nothing.

The tower ahead is instead becoming more and more palpable. So that's nice.
in_extremis: (Default)

cursed time for all of us to be tagging

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-26 09:34 am (UTC)(link)
Whatever Cayde was doing with the spinning was enough to distract Tony briefly from the numbing sensation at the base of his skull, making him snort a bemused laugh then finally skip ahead enough to actually catch up with the Exo and catch him around the waist, swinging him around again with the momentum, spinning easily in the dusty road. "Couldn't say if the hangar was always there. Doesn't have any Agrii ships in--gkh--?" Tony started to point out as they twirled, stopping short as he turned enough to catch sight of Jon again and clutching the back of Cayde's cape tightly in one hand as the other landed heavily on his shoulder. By the time he blinked, it was just Jon again, looking older than 30 but reasonably three-dimensional without any static glitch interrupting his face. Tony had to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth, looking between the other two to try to explain the interruption, and eventually landed on, "Did you at least bring something to drink? It's dry out here."
beholding_archivist: (Wishing you away)

Isn't it way past your bedtime?

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-26 10:02 am (UTC)(link)
Jon watches Tony bounce over to Cayde, yet doesn't comment on the enthusiastic display, peering up into the air pensively for a moment. "...the Agrii don't appear to have had their own ships at all when they were forced to leave this planet, that's true." At least according to the records he has seen. The ship the Agrii are using has been given to them, if he recalls correctly.

But that is about as far as Jon's musings go, as a faint, yet eerily familiar tune catches his attention, making him blink twice and look off to the side, frowning yet again and for a moment hesitating before muttering. "...d-do you hear that?" That traitorously friendly whistle, light and joyful and carried by a nonexistent breeze...
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-26 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
As Sundance performed her scan, Tony cocked his head to try to listen for what Jon was hearing, and finding he was all too aware of the smooth slide of Sundance's joints and a whir of machined pressure as Cayde's weight shifted, quiet enough that a current of air stirring the loose pebbles of the road or the hem of Cayde's cape should have obscured it. Looking cautiously in the direction that seemed to have caught Jon's attention didn't help, only the barren earth stretching between them and the strangely delineated edge of the forest for Tony to consider as his hand slowly dropped down Cayde's chest in a rustle of fabric that suddenly sounded too loud, and a whine of metal as Tony gripped his gloved hand into a tense fist. Out there, by the edge of the forest, another flare of static made Tony squint, like a screen tear that had him suddenly concerned that something could be happening with Jon's powers, between the strange slowing of Extremis that seemed to happen when he was stressed and the phantom noises.

It was Cayde shifting again that made Tony glance down between them, to the hand on his belt and try to discourage, "Uh...," without a good argument to make, convinced he had to defend Jon but not sure what exactly he was defending. In quick succession, Tony was glancing to Cayde's face with raised eyebrows, then over his shoulder to follow the Exo's eyeline to the still serenely fixed tower, then up to the sky toward the steadily blinking light, reaching blindly to stay the Exo's wrist. "Something's wrong," he reported, watching the pixels of the sky break around the light he still couldn't quite see against the sun.
beholding_archivist: (Let go.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-26 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Jon's attention remains directed elsewhere and he bites the inside of his cheek while the dreadfully familiar carnival music played by a stolen calliope goes on gently in the distance. The frown he wears turns into a scowl and Jon closes his eyes, tangentially registering the voices of the Exo, his Ghost and finally Tony.

"...right." Jon finally breathes, turning his attention back ahead of them, jaw set decisively. If he wouldn't know it better, he could have sworn to notice the distinct crackle of rising static around him as he steps up again, ready to move past the rest of their little group. "Tony is right. Something's wrong. Which means we can't stop here and get distracted by shadows or strange music." And he clenches his teeth before adding: "None of it is real."

It's just like the storm.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-27 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
They were clearly having very different experiences, which Tony was glad to take as evidence that it wasn't real, but that didn't make it any less concerning that they seemed to be having some kind of mutual hallucination and the radiation sickness thing maybe should have been revisited. Distracted, it wasn't with as much of his usual energy that Tony teased, "You could have just asked to hold my hand," but neither this anxiety nor the jolt up his spine as Jon came closer was nearly enough to stop him from immediately trailing after that look of determination.

The tearing and glitching only seemed to get worse the closer they came to the tower, making Tony rub at a smarting eye with one hand while he flexed his gauntlet on the other, trying to get it to respond to any command after Jon's EMP. "Sundance," he had to call instead, "Give me a baseline radiation, what's coming out of this thing? Electromagnetic, gamma, give me an idea."
beholding_archivist: (Mighty Frown)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-11-27 09:53 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't at least a few things here that don't want us near it." Jon grumbles in agreement with Cayde's assumption. Not everything on this alien planet being friendly with them makes an unfortunate amount of sense.

He casts a look from the Exo to Tony and lets it linger on the latter for a moment, sensing an unease in him that Jon feels at least partially responsible for. and his voice softens a little in an attempt to sound reassuring. "I will do what I can to see through it, but we should try to assume that every distraction we encounter from here on is an attempt to keep us from reaching the tower."

As he speaks, Jon keeps his hands together, distracting himself from reaching out to either member of the party by rubbing the back of his right hand with his left.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-11-28 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
The confirmation from Sundance that this effect was, at the very least, similar to the storm was good enough reason to knock someone off their feet, but Tony wouldn't expect Cayde to be the one to have the big reaction, making him turn at the sound of the scuff of the dirt and watch the exchange with the Ghost anxiously. Maybe he had been onto something with the holding hands thing, because relying on their senses was getting dicey. "Keep talking," Tony prompted. "Everyone. Just keep talking." He gestured with both hands flapping up to invite them to raise the volume and talk over him as he continued, "Sight and sound, override it, if it doesn't look right, maybe it still sounds right. The storms, if this is the same energy as the storm--if this tower is some kind of generator--that doesn't make sense, unless these storms have an eye. The city's right there, and it's the last place standing, according to the data point--which we can't trust already, we know not everything they told us is true. But if it's the same energy because--because it's a response, it's on the same wavelength, its some kind of countermeasure...?"

Getting closer to the structure wasn't exactly revealing how that would be so. If anything, it looked more like a wind turbine, sleek and narrow without any obvious interface. All Tony could determine as they approached as that there was a crackling static in one ear, like a severely out of tune radio station trying desperately to reach him through the noise.

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