CYOA: Allen, Rika, Sholmes, Yoo Joonhyuk

[grigori]

Comments

IT WAS COLD AND I WAS ALONE

[grigori]

[ it happens in a moment. not even a few seconds before you were in a frozen hotel where eager staff were waiting on you and and foot. they'd be kind enough to dress your wounds if you asked and supplied you everything you needed if you were reluctant. however, all of that is gone and replaced with a soulless and cold room with gray cement walls without any windows, or any other decoration. you are not alone in this room; there are others around you, dressed in light blue jumpsuits, sitting at metal tables with metal seats—all of it bolted to the ground while there are others in body armor and armed with guns stand against the walls. fortunately, there will be three other faces that will look familiar to you and will be sitting with you at the same table.

you also find yourselves stripped of the normal clothing that you've been wearing and replaced with something different. sholmes and joonhyuk find themselves dressed in a white lab coat, black slacks, a button up—the model image of a lab technician of the compound. meanwhile, allen and rika will find themselves dressed in light blue jumpsuit with short sleeves.

the wounds and injuries that they had from traveling to nerak seemingly vanished but not that should give them any comfort. allen and rika will find what look to be medical wristbands on their right hand—it will detail their full name, age, and the name of their daemon. sholmes and joonhyuk will find themselves an id card badge detailing their name and level of clearance clipped to the pocket of their labcoat. the daemon of the four of them in the room with them, however rowan and bernkastel have been chained or caged to the wall nearby.

there's a soft murmur heard throughout the room about who will be next, however before they start to worry about that, perhaps they should take a moment to understand what might be at play. ]

[lefthandpath]

[Rowan is Lady Not Tolerating This Bullshit. she's tried shifting around from canine to bird to squirrel but seems unable to slip the chains, chittering and calling out with anxiety before she settles on her canine form for a moment to try to snap at whatever's keeping her away from Allen. daemon does not do well with being trapped and pinned down, apparently.

Allen, meanwhile, sits still for a long moment, processing this and trying to stay calm. apparently, he also does badly with the idea of being locked down and caged and this sure feels like that. he does make a point not to look directly at the guards, hands pressing down against the table's top to keep from doing anything hasty.]

This... isn't what always happens, right?

[at least the two adults in the room are familiar.]

[malewife]

[ ... Hm. He examines himself, then the ID card, then the rest of the room as he checks if he has his sword or not. Niah is out here in his wolf form, peering into the cages with little whines. ]

It's different than my trip, but the premise of being taken and placed elsewhere is the same.

[greatdeduction]

Well, at least we're ourselves. I hope.

[Says Sholmes, frowning as he looks down at his labcoat, then at everyone else. Irene in beagle form trots over to the cages and chains to peer in, whimpering a little.]

...None of this bodes any good. [He murmurs to the other three, concerned.] And I assume if we make a wrong move, they'll be more than eager to shoot us full of holes.

[syndromed]

Mm. I get the feeling this won't be as fun as a candy castle was.

[ bernkastel looks to have already given up on escaping. she's just sitting, as a black cat, watching everyone warily. ]

But there must be something we can do, right?

WHAT WILL I FIND INSIDE WHEN I CUT MYSELF OPEN

[grigori]

[ with their daemons calm and with the understanding that allen and rika will not put up a fight, they will be escorted out of the room by the guards and their daemons.

in silence, allen and rika will be lead down a corridors similar with the same cold, blank cement lifelessness that they saw in the room that they were in previous. it provides no insight as to where they are as they pass by only other empty corridors leading into even more corridors. the implication of the sheer size of the compound perhaps becoming a little clear to them. their way illuminated by a string of ceiling lights that hardly provide for any kind of warmth. as the guards march them to the next room where they'll be held, they will hear the sound of loud but muffled electric whirring and what might be equally muffled cries before being silenced. it will be the only sound that the two of them hear before they reach their next room. before them it will be a room full of cages though these are a bit different from normal cages. they are cages that are very likely different from any they've seen before with one side allowing for daemon and the other side made for its owner.

again, the two of them will see that the cages will contain children—all of them resigned and some of them crying. ]

[lefthandpath]

[Allen manages to keep calm, stomach turning and heart aching in anger for these kids. he has to remind himself that he has several aces up his sleeves that could potentially, maybe, get them out of this mess.

he glances over to Rika, trying to get an idea if she might have an idea--he doesn't know her well but she never struck him as a fool in what he has seen of her actions during trials and such.]

[syndromed]

[ rika looks back to allen, but unfortunately it's just with a wary sort of hope that maybe he has an idea, because she doesn't. she doesn't even have tricks up her sleeve. traps were never her specialty.

she isn't really thinking about the other children at all. right now it's just the four of them that she's prioritizing. trying to figure out how to get out of this, so that they can tumble back to the city, fake dead like all the others have been in previous weeks.

at least that's a kind of comforting thought?

in the cages containing children - are their daemons on the other side? ]

[grigori]

[ yes, on one side of the cage, will contain their daemon and on the other side of the cage will be its owner. it will seem like the daemon will not be able to touch the sides of the cage without being shocked causing many of them to be pacing back and forth against the cage in clear distress.

the room itself will be largely sterile and only have the barest amount of equipment in there that aren't the cages of children. they will be able to observe that the cages have a sort of deadbolt lock on the outside of each cage door and that the cages themselves will be made of a metal.

each pair of guards will take stock of rika's and allen's medical bands before ushering them off into different sides of the room where a few other in labcoats will be buzzing about. rika will be on the side of younger children while allen is on the side with older children, his side far less populated than rika's which seems to be filled with the most. while the guards don't force them into the cage just yet, they are lead to them with their doors open. clearly they're meant to enter on their own. ]

[lefthandpath]

[... make that ONE possible ace up his sleeve because he is quickly realizing that he is minus a certain coin. which he was planning on trying to see if he couldn't use it to jam the lock a little as he climbed into the cell, but now he's having to step in without an easy way out.]

--what does "processing" involve...?

[might be useless to ask the lab coats but might as well.]

I FIND MYSELF A PRISONER OF MY OWN BODY

[grigori]

[ the labcoats will remain on each side of sholmes and joonhyuk as the four of them lead their chosen subject to their fate. unlike with allen and rika, there will only be one guard with them who will be there mainly to make sure their test subject doesn't decide to run away—the dog daemon almost aggressively crowding the small mouse daemon along its way. the five of them, make their way to an intersection of the corridors where they'll split up into groups, the labcoats leading sholmes and joonhyuk into another corridor and into a room. and as they enter it will appear to be some sort of control room.

in front of them the panel will be covered with papers, notes, and sticky notes. the information on pieces of paper surly meaning something. there will be various buttons and levers as well as an intercom to the side of the panel. above the panel will the a screen that will currently displaying an image of a rather large cage. at first it is empty but it doesn't remain that way for very long as the subject that they had selected from earlier is dragged into the room. one of the labcoats will lean over the panel and carefully speak into the mic.

"Subject 0864, age 10, daemon Klint." ]

[greatdeduction]

[Yes, yes. Everything is progressing as expected. With whatever "this" is. It's science. Everything in the name of science, and progress.]

[Sholmes watches blankly as they pull the subject into the room. The papers, however, seem to draw his attention more, and he leans forward to peer at them. Is there anything interesting on them?]

[malewife]

[ we’re probably religious scientists right… can we roll for how churchy or anti-churchy we are

He wants to see the papers, too, and usually! This would be a moment where he thinks he can kill a single guard by attacking their daemon, but the haze has him. I rolled a 6 in trying to break the haze, so he is still a lab coat. ]

Do we have new countermeasures to prevent the same mistake as the last? Even if she is frail, we can’t overestimate our subjects.

[grigori]

[ feel to roll for how pro-church or anti-church you are. also feel free to roll to see if you can break free from the mind control.

but as for the papers found on the panel, there will be a case file of the previous subject—subject 0457, real name: yoo mia—with some notes about the quality and quantity of her dust being marked as high in both. the other papers on the panel will be notes of the intended purpose of the experiments—finding a way to provide adequate fuel and to test whether the tracking truly works. there will be notes about how many have failed and how many succeeded with so far only one success out of hundreds of tests. for the single success case there is a sticky note attached to that where with just a circle and a question mark drawn on it. among the mess, there will also be a small red device.

"Ah, yes, of course we do. While we find it a bit inhumane to do so, we'll make sure to have a gag ready so that we will not get the same results. However, we are still uncertain if Dust from her is enough. She was spirited until recent."

with that said, the experiment continues to move forward as the guard continues to usher the girl towards the large metal cage (or perhaps better described as a container) that opens out to show a smaller cage where they force the the subject's mouse daemon into one side and then her to the other before throwing the locks and latching the doors shut. ]

[greatdeduction]

[Sholmes reads over it, and...blinks, suddenly, as the mind haze disappears for a moment. This is...wait a second. They're experimenting on children. He stands up straight, looking around and back at YJH, before shifting over to the small red device.]

[What does the device look like? He frowns - and then, raising his voice slightly, he leans forward to point at the screen.]

Speaking of countermeasures, make sure they doublecheck those locks! I shan't have another subject pick the lock unbeknownst to us.

[As he's drawing attention to the subject, he will attempt to slide the red device to him and I POSSIBLE will attempt to pocket it.. Larceny!]

IT'S ONLY A LITTLE CUT

[grigori]

[ when rika wakes up, she'll find herself in another cage. it isn't the same cage that she knew of from before. this one has sturdier bars and the lock thicker. even if she wanted to escape, it wouldn't be likely, especially when she looks to the other side of the cage and sees bernkastel coming to as well. the two of them can take in the sights (not much) and the sounds (loud electrical whirring) if they wish for the moment. however, most importantly, will be that she'll temporarily be able to see the view of glass booth from within her cage—a control room or sorts. it will not be the same one that sholmes and joonhyuk found themselves in as guard and labcoat that had apprehended her will be the ones who will be looking down at her.

after a while she'll hear the following:

"Furude, Rika; age 11, daemon Bernkastel." ]

[syndromed]

[ she takes in her surroundings, feeling pretty hazy from the impromptu and unwilling nap she just took...

bernkastel just sits where she is, as if she's unimpressed and waiting for something more. ah, cats. ]

At least get my age right. How do you expect to learn anything when what little you know is already wrong?

[ ... well i guess antagonizing them sure is. a strategy. ]

[grigori]

[ antagonizing them is...certainly a choice decision.

the people in the glass booth don't say anything in response to that initially and instead take a moment before clarifying. their voice monotone and emotionless as it echoes in the room that

"State your age." ]

[syndromed]

Sixteen. A hundred. A thousand. Take your pick.

Are you going to kill me?

[grigori]

[ "That would explain your exceptional Dust.

It would bring you closest to our intended target's age as well. So, we don't have plans on killing you. We merely want to run a few test; nothing more and nothing else." ]

THE LONELINESS IS ONLY NATURAL

[grigori]

[ once the bright light and the powerful shock wave that will come as a direct result from rika being torn from bernkastel has ended, a small, malnourished boy with vermilion hair and bright yellow eyes will peek his head out from the doorway that leads into the room with the container. allen may or may not recognize him as one of the kids that he saved—the first one—with the pink snake wrapped around his neck laying there lethargically. he will look into the room with apprehension and uncertainty and in his arms will be a cat of some sorts. it's not properly sized like a normal cat and it certainly isn't moving. the child simply has it in his arms for moment.

it'll be a while longer before he takes another step forward into the room as he'll notice that the air of the room to not be a good one. it's not surprising to him but... there has no one else in this place and they seem to be grieving unlike so many others he has seen here. so, after a prolonged moment, he'll speak up. ]

I... I'm looking for my brother. ...c...can you help me?

[malewife]

[ Sometimes you are just checking how much ammo you have in this handgun when a child walks in. There are many thoughts whirring in his head. There is an end to this. There is usually some kind of objective on these trips... But so far they haven't completed it. If it was to save Rika or that child, to have moved faster to save his sister, then they've already failed. It weighs on his heart, heavier and heavier, until he snaps himself out of it.

They're still here. The objective must be this, though he does squint at the pink snake. Niah approaches the child and gives him some curious distanced sniffs. ]

Do you have an idea where they took him?

[ Come, child. He puts his gun away. ]

[lefthandpath]

[assuming Sholmes will take Rika's body, Allen will slowly make his way over to Joonghyuk's side, mostly so he can lowly inform the other man,]

One of the scientists said his brother was a successful experiment. Still alive. So somewhere in the facility...

[Rowan clambers down Allen's clothes in her squirrel form only to shift back into her canine form, joining Niah in the curious sniffing, albeit with a blood-stained and slowly bleeding neck.]

[greatdeduction]

...

[It's hard, to be asked by a child to help him when they've already lost two. Sholmes lifts his head from where he's glancing down at Rika in his arms.]

[...He has to put it aside. They're still here, not there. Not back where they should be. So, they have to move forward. Help this child.]

Yes. Of course we'll help.

I'VE LEARNED TO LIVE WITHOUT MY OTHER HALF

[grigori]

[ upon leaving the compound you've come face to face with the reality that the world is a cold and harsh place where compassion and obsession do not always save lives. however, despite the lives that were lost and the futures stolen, you've been able to spare a few. the weight of what means to judge someone's life that much heavier on you minds and on your shoulders. each bump from the rough ice another reminder of the road of which you've learned to walk.

regardless of whether you believe in god or angels, one thing is true—you can never absolve yourself of your sins. ]

Freed from The Station, a good end(?).

For your reward, you will find yourselves in possession of:

★ Your injuries and trauma, of course.
★ The lab coats that you've all stolen, they will have no special effect but each one will contain a feather of Dust.
★ Joonhyuk will have the gun he has stolen. 3 bullets.
★ Tokens of gratitude from the children you've saved: a lotus flower that will grant a single moderately heal, a marble with a blue flame inside that will grant a single use fire spell (weak), and a marble with bubbles that will revitalize its user.
★ The toy cat, currently in Allen's possession, it will give an easy presence in the night. It doesn't do anything else.
★ A red cellphone, currently in Sholmes' possession, it will have 20% battery life left and when the screen lights up it will display an image of a woman but her face will be obscured. It will be currently locked with a passcode and presently it does nothing else.
★ A strawberry lollipop that will provide a minor heal.
★ Rika's body, cool to the touch and Dust seems to be lifting slowly off of her body.
★ A jar of golden ashes, it does nothing special. :(

For one time use, the feathers made of Dust that you've acquired will grant you abilities. The feathers do not disappear after use, but do lose some of their warmth.


★ Joonhyuk's feather will grant him the ability to visit the dead, allowing him temporarily speak to someone who has died.
★ Allen's feather will grant him ability to gain info about objects/people/events by touch.
★ Sholmes's feather will allow him to reveal one secret, whether physical or verbal.
★..... Rika is dead. Yes, she's really dead dead.

Later, you'll notice that there's a folded piece of paper located in one of the lab coat pockets, and reads:


PROJECT – SHADOWS & GOLD
TEST #90
The Magis

Purpose: Does eradicating “gold” result in the destruction of Subject P.

Results: Extreme improvement from previous attempt. Detonation and elimination of desired target was highly successful. Test provided to yield results within the parameters expected with the standard deviation of 2%. Error margins due to lack of refinement in DNA supplied.

Short term effects provided to be successful. Long term effects are positive trending. Specific group sample required for more testing. Long term effects of testing still required.

Conclusion: Greater DNA samples required. New location needed.