EVENT ONE: JUNE 21ST-28TH

[luminals]

TAKE BACK KNOWHERE
When: June 21-28
Who: Everyone.
Where: All over Knowhere, ending in the Continuum Cortex and Observation Deck.

Event details are here, IC announcement is here.

Prose & Action brackets are both acceptable ways of posting to these comments, please be mindful of what threads you are posting under!

Comments

Tiny Green Menace, er LOKI! | OPEN

[badnewsboy]

[always questions unanswered—but those aren't the first thoughts that come to mind. the first thoughts that come to mind are "did I do this?" followed by a healthy, "wait, did anything I did do this?" that are quickly dismissed by the sudden realization that he was in a space station far from the reaches of Asgardia ... which wasn't exactly where he was before. (But where he was before was the cause to all the questions.)

there were more pressing matters at hand. like those aliens. something along the lines of a space invasion! some things were easy for him to adapt to, and intergalactic battles were one of them. (well, nix part of that, he was more familiar with battles between realms, but the eclectic collection of various combatants was something that wasn't foreign to him.)

his curiosity peaked and sudden rush of "I need to do something to help"-slash-"I'll find out what's going on" leads him to sneaking about on his way to the Observation Deck and right into the fray. he was very good at sneaking, but despite all his sneaking, he's caught by some unfriendly looking alien-fellows holding some unfriendly looking alien-weapons.

it was eerily like a Midgardian moving film.]

There's a mortal saying about frying pans and fire pits that's somewhat fitting for the circumstances. Have you heard it, I—[something like a space-ray-bullet sort of whizzes past his head, nicking the fabric of his hood. he makes a face.]—ah, I guess that's a "no," isn't it? Not in space! All questions answered! Now, er, there's something about a quick getaway that I'm missing!

Toodles!

[then he does what he does second best, he runs with the unfriendlies right on his heels.]

Oh, Hel.

[timeywimeyorb]

[It was back to trying to find her way to this "Continuum Cortex." It was strange. She had arrived there, had been told where she could stay, and led away, but now she could not for the life of her seem to find the exact hallways and corridors that had led her away from that room in the first place. This place was worse than a maze!

However, Sailor Pluto remained calm. She'd opted to stay in her senshi garb for the time being, seeing as the station was under attack it only made sense. She just hoped that her decision to find the Continuum Cortex was a good one. It probably wouldn't matter either way if she couldn't find her way there. And the fights she kept getting involved in were certainly not helping matters.

Case in point, it seemed she was approaching one now. At least, she wasn't sure why else there would be shouts, screams, and roars in a variety of strange voices coming her way and around the corner. First a boy ran past her hallway and then the hoard appeared, shooting and causing all kinds of ruckus.

She swept her Garnet Rod down.]

Chronos Typhoon!

[A massive wind slammed into the party of aliens pursuing the boy and even those not caught in it managed to trip and fall over one another in the ensuing disruption of their chase. Pluto rushed out to join the boy.]

Come! That won't keep them down for long.

[Sure, she had no idea where she was going, but she wasn't about to let some poor kid be bullied and trampled by a bunch of aliens either. Besides, the aliens were already picking themselves back up.]

[badnewsboy]

[he scrambles up from a fumble, not needing further urgings to skeedadle.]

You have my thanks!

[he says, turning a half circle before falling in pace beside her.]

Hello! That was rather nifty—and just in the nick of time, too! I have my drawbacks of becoming barbecue-Loki. Especially in space, there's no one to appreciate it.

[he has no idea where she's headed, or no idea where they're going, but the sneak attack didn't work, and he wasn't about to give up the side of someone who would possibly protect him if they were attacked again.]

Least of all extra-terrestrial thugs, eh?

So, where are we going?

[timeywimeyorb]

[Pluto nods. They can exchange gratitude later, though the boy seems determined to talk while they run. Pluto can oblige. She leads him down a third corridor in the hopes that it might lead her somewhere useful.]

Unfortunately I haven't the slightest idea. I was trying to get to the location dubbed the Continuum Cortex, but finding it is apparently a bit of a puzzle. It's...not exactly helped by the extra-terrestrial thugs, as you have dubbed them, that seem to be strategically placed to cause problems.

[She glances over her shoulder, but so far behind them is clear.]

[badnewsboy]

[if there were two things he was good at, talking and running would be both of them. they head around a corner and Loki lets out a breath or relief. he doesn't seem winded at all from all the running. he tugs up his hood and glances (almost comically) around the corner.]

The Cortex of Continuum is where we arrived, yes? Where the ET-thugs now infiltrate?

[timeywimeyorb]

[She slows and waits to hear if the coast is clear around the next corner. This boy seems to know a bit more about running from vicious thugs than she would have initially assessed. It was very interesting.]

It is. I attempted to retrace my steps, but I think the hallways are shifting somehow.

[She steps closer to peer around the corner as well.]

[badnewsboy]

[running from Hel hounds all the way to large, apocalyptic fire giants will do that to you. the alien thugs were really small fries compared to a lot of other things that he's had to run from.]

How convenient. It may be to throw off our attackers.

[he perks up.]

... Or we've taken residence in the Death Star. The general space-stuff around does lend to that theory.

[timeywimeyorb]

[She hadn't considered that possibility, though it does make sense. You wouldn't want important parts of your base to be so easily accessed. Still, hadn't the broadcast earlier suggested they get there to help? How were they to accomplish that if no one could get there?]

Perhaps, but there must be some way to get there if others are trying to defend it supposedly.

[She shakes her head at his suggestion.]

No one has referred to this as a Death Star. What leads you to that conclusion?

[uneulogized]

I don't think you're half as fast as you think you are. [The observation comes from someone who's just turned the corner and lowered his gun—but only slightly. He's not going to shoot when this kid is making his get-away, and he sure as hell isn't going to interfere.] Or clever. You only announce you're running in the movies. It doesn't work out loud.

[The criticisms are only lazily delivered, and he jumps up quickly, flipping over the tiny green kid's head to deliver a pair of warning shots at the ceiling, making it clear that he's competent enough to handle this.

Why's he helping? Well, this kid seems to be sporting the same confusion as him. The way he ran was with purpose, but about the same level of purpose as what Jason is managing right now.

So, honestly, not very much at all. What it tells him (if he's piecing together his surroundings correctly) is that they aren't two of a kind. There are a lot of people in the thick of this fight, and most of them don't have a damn idea about what they're doing.

With the goons held off, he glances back toward the kid.]

Did you actually have a plan underneath all that? [Hey, it's worth asking. He's developing one of his own.]

[badnewsboy]

[Loki ducks as Jason flips over him, as if he's already preparing to be saved. he had definitely made enough noise for someone to notice, and he would take any protection that was offered to him at this point. he skids to a halt to watch the confrontation, frowns in disappointment when he realizes that he can't exactly record it without depleting the battery in his StarkPhone (he hasn't a clue whether or not there'll be any means of a good re-charge). that was pretty cool.]

You mean something that doesn't lead to such fine use of my running legs? [he lifts a lake and shakes it for a good measure, before pulling up his hood that had fallen.] Thanks for aiding in the whole not-dying and not-hurting dealy, both of which are extremely unpleasant. Mission accomplished! Yay team! You could say that you were part of the plan.

[he gestures widely.]

So! Welcome to the other part of the plan! Which includes heading to the Deck of Observation. The message sent to us upon arrival was mysteriously cut off in such a way that certainly wasn't at all ironic or foreboding.

[uneulogized]

Yeah, we're helping. What a load of shit. [Jason doesn't bother hiding his true feelings on the situation. People call in heroes for that, and he doesn't find himself feeling too keen on being categorized as some big hero. Besides, being pulled away from his previous goal has him cranky, even if he's trying to keep his chin up and smirk permanently on.

Things work out better that way.]

But good plan. Both of them, though if you can scare a few others into joining us, we might even have more ammo to break through. [Jason figures he's going to run out. Sure, he has his blade, but he likes to hide that except for good moments.

Well, he figures he'd like to hide it for those moments. He hasn't put it to good use yet.]

[badnewsboy]

Oh, I can be quite villianous if I put my mind to it.

[and he turns to stick out his tongue at his fallen pursuers, putting his hands on his hips and looking self-satisfied.]

Now—

[he wasn't unused to playing it on the fly. he was resourceful, and Jason found himself as his first resource.]

We'll just make sure you're in little need of it. Unless we find ourselves a calvary, of course. We can think of it more as not allowing these mucky extraterrestrial beasties into taking our new space-station. Like the Death Star in the hands of the wrong person!

[magic hands!]

... Er, wait.

[uneulogized]

[This kid's got charisma, even if he messes up his pop culture references.]

It's called the Death Star. Sounds like it ended up in the wrong hands from the start.

[He looks around and considers what they need to do, though.]

We should pick ourselves up and get somewhere good. I'm not saying we back ourselves into a corner, but somewhere that we can know the terrain. [And not get lost. This whole damn ship ... station? This whole damn station is like a near nightmare for him.]

[badnewsboy]

[Loki glances around, looking around the corner and up into the beams of the ceiling. there's a few good strategies here, some plans that he can feel could make themselves if they had a few more choice pieces of information.

it's obvious from the look of him that the gears are turning.]

The Death Star doesn't find itself too accommodating. We'll have to rely on our other senses.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," etceteria etceteria.

Shall we?

[he heads off. AND I'LL BE WRITING MORE.]

[necrokinetic]

[ nico's only just shadow travelled away from one hallways filled with aliens when he finds himself stepping out into another just the same. the only difference is some other kid also happens to be present — not with the attackers, he guesses, if the way he's running is anything to go by.

it wouldn't be right to leave anyone else alone to save himself, so rather than make another quick exit, the demigod pulls out his sword and plants himself in the way. ]

Go around the corner! [ and trust the pale looking teen who just materialized out of the shadows. he hopes the other boy will: a) listen; and b) be fast enough to speed past him before the aliens catch up. ]

[badnewsboy]

[runrunrunrun!!--and he's not about to turn down good help, surprise or not. at least someone heard him, so that makes this a mission accomplished! (if it's a trap, he'd deal with it on a case by case basis, and he hasn't necessarily ruled it out.) he's learned not to judge anyone by their paleness or stature.]

Stick them with the pointy end!

[he says, as if the entire concept of using a sword had somehow been forgotten in the chaos. he fumbles around the corner and sticks his head out to take a peek.]

[necrokinetic]

I know which end to use—

[ he's snappish, but that's what finding yourself in a spaceship fighting aliens will do to you. speaking of which end, the group chasing after loki have rounded up pretty quickly and nico acts quickly in the moment of confusion when they've lost sight of their original target.

he manages to get a swipe in at one of them before they realize that attacking one kid was just as good as another, and he has to roll away quickly to dodge the incoming shots from their weird guns. if only he had a shield right now — normally, not really his style, but he'd kill for it right now if it could at least keep his opponents at bay. hades, why did he have to end up floating around in space? he couldn't even summon the dead from here.

this may have been a poorly thought out plan. ]

[badnewsboy]

[he winces a bit from his spectator spot from around the corner.

not just a poorly thought out plan from Nico's end. (but let's face it, stabbing isn't really a plan, Nico.)

well, at least he wasn't escaping anymore. it gave him a moment to regroup his thoughts. okay, a quick look around at their surroundings and the gears in his mind go wheeling. so while he has a well-placed, possibly momentary distraction he turns his attention to the shifting corridors. it was something a bit more difficult to utilize when you were running for your life, but not a bad resource.

his head pokes back around the corner (and it's a little difficult to tell if he just bolted completely and left poor Nico to his poor, stabby plan). he picks up a small piece of debris and flicks it down the walkway, trying to gauge exactly where the noise was going to stop. he does it again. and again. and again.

enough that the it starts to get the attention of their extraterrestrial pursuers.]

Won't they be embarrassed when I make my quick get away?

[he says in an almost comically loud tone.]

[necrokinetic]

[ luckily, he's a bit too preoccupied to wonder whether loki had run away — the thought crossed his mind when he'd told the other boy to run, but that'd been for the sake of not having to protect someone else while simultaneously trying to fight the aliens. he's just knocked the gun out of one of their limbs when the sound makes both nico and the alien turn their head back towards loki.

nico's not sure if he's being helped or if the other is just an idiot who doesn't see an opportunity for safety, but either way, he's ducking and doubling back towards him. ]

What're you doing?

[badnewsboy]

[he refrains from saying "saving you." and instead starts making more noise as a distraction.]

My legs are so fast!

[he scuffs his feet against the ground as he runs in place like he's making a getaway down the hall. it's enough to cause both some confusion and frustrated curiosity on the behalf of their pursuers.

as soon as first extraterrestrial brute rounds the corner, Loki tosses another piece of debris down the corridor and around the corner, hefting himself up into the rafters to make it look like he'd run. he lets out a sigh of relief when the first one takes the bait and turns the corner.

he sure hopes his reckless theory is right.]

in the grand tradition of things

[getoffmyearth]

[It's a good thing he thinks fast on his feet, or this might be a lot uglier than it already is. What this actually is continues to be a subject of ongoing debate, but this particular piece of the this puzzle appears to be a kid in a very strange get-up (strange even for space, in that he can't place where it might come from) running towards him with a pack of villains on his heels, and that's totally a thing he can solve.

In what has to be one of the only cool action hero moments of Peter Quill's current life, he 1) fires a round of explosive penetrators over the kid's head, into the wall, which at least 2) causes a huge cloud of shorted out wires and debris and smoke (apologies to Cosmo or whoever, if they're somewhere around here) which keeps those bad guys at bay and 3) reaches out to snag the kid's hood and tug him down a conveniently located side maintenance corridor of machinery and now he really wishes he knew what they did.]

I don't think they got your joke, kid.

[badnewsboy]

[he yells as he approaches—and from the oddly graceful way that he can both talk and run at the same time leads someone to believe that he's no amateur at it. not only does it go film-perfect from Peter's end, but Loki seems to be like a trained actor in a movie. he ducks his head just slightly as something goes whizzing over it, muttering a curse.]

Ymir's frozen balls—!

[and is grabbed, and despite his weight, dragged like a cat by the scuff of the neck into an adjoining room. it's not until the peril passes that he catches his breath.]

I've an inkling that they'd find little in jest!

[immediately ready to do some over-Loki-like-explaining.]

My thanks, er ... space goer.

[getoffmyearth]

[If only there were a camera. Eat your heart out, George Lucas, this is a film the likes of which you could only dream of making.

Unfortunately, this is just Peter's life, which means it's about to go wrong any second now. Those are the laws of the universe that he lives by; the situation will always get much, much worse.]

It's Star-Lord.

[He can't help wincing; please, people, just remember the damn name if he has to be using it at all.]

Did you just curse somebody's frozen testicles?

[They have more pressing concerns than new swears, surely, but he just can't help asking about it.]

[badnewsboy]

Ymir.

[ he says, as if that clarifies anything. he leans in and squints up at him, as if he's looking for something. ]

Are you truly the Lord of all Stars?

[ you know, as if nothing else mattered and they really weren't being invaded at the moment. this was a very important question! ]

[getoffmyearth]

[Peter winces to hear that question anyway. Really, he'd really wanted people to drop the Star-Lord thing, and it sounds unbelievably stupid when the kid puts it like that.]

It's Star-Lord.

[And to forestall any more awkward questions, he pushes the tiny interloper further down the corridor, behind him, while he eases up to the corner to take a look.]

I think they're gone. I suppose there's no chance you're carrying anything to defend yourself, like, I dunno, at least a taser? [Giving him a better look.] ...slingshot?