War Week

[mockmods]

[A week has gone and past, as has the first of your number. The Researcher revealing himself, more or less, by punishing Patches, the Trusty, for pushing an unclear boundary.]

[And yet, routine seems to have returned. The Researcher makes morning and evening announcements as if nothing has happened. Meals are served in the dining hall. The copies of Oregon Trail in the computer lab now have a text-only mode for some reason? Penny has not been seen since Friday, and attempts to access the Security Room have been fruitless.]

[But overall, life in the Facility has remained unchanged. But the atmosphere is getting tenser - sooner or later something is going to break.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Thursday

Comments

Sunday

[mockmods]

Today, the Dining Hall is serving:
Breakfast: Billybob's Barnbuster Breakfast Buffet
Lunch: Souper Man Sandwiches and Salad Selection
Dinner: Winner Winner Country Chicken Dinner

investigation?

[boxtrot]

[Spy's starting to get nervous.

That in and of itself is cause for alarm. A Spy's job is to keep a level head- strike fear in the opposition, not the other way around.

But a week is a long time to be trapped in this place. He honestly expected his fellow mercenaries to storm this prison, by now. The fact that they haven't, and that he's no closer to finding a way out- it's worrisome.

He's spent a week keeping out of people's way, sticking to the sidelines, scoping out the area; it hasn't helped. Someone's dead, and any one of them could die next.

Spy needs to actually work together with these people if he wants to survive.

But first? He's gonna complain.]

Who even named these dishes, anyway? Good Lord...

[He's looking at the breakfast menu with something approaching disgust.

Much later, Spy will be hanging around the security room. He's not foolish enough to try the door himself, but he is going to snoop around for any hint of the Researcher- or Penny, for that matter.]

Security Room

[mockmods]

[Sorry Spy, the security room is locked tight, and does not appear to be opening on its own any time soon. Are you trying anything in particular?]

breakfast

[biolence]

An idiot.

[Rosa flops down across the table from Spy Boy with two (2) heaping plates of breakfast food and starts shoveling hashbrowns and eggs in her mouth.]

Or possibly someone who once worked at a Chuck E. Cheese.

Meeting time!

[scratchitti]

[So a lot of stuff has happened over the past week, and while they were all investigating there was no real teamwork.

Neku didn't think of it this way, but it was time for him to live up to his title. Early in the day Neku approaches everyone remaining in the compound, telling them to meet up in the dining room before dinner.

After lunch, once everyone has cleared out, Neku sets to work- pushing all tables and chairs together. After that he hits his dorm and the craft room, hauling armfuls of blankets, pillows and cloth in.

...that sure is a giant blanket fort, isn't it?

It would be understandable for just about anyone to balk at coming inside, and it's a close fit for more than a few people at a time. But throughout the evening Neku drags people in- and as soon as they're settled holds up a notebook with writing on it for them to read:]

don't say anything out loud. this is so the camera can't see or hear us. if you've learned anything about this place, Penny, or the Researcher write it down so we can spread info to everyone. you can talk about other stuff out loud tho so they don't get as suspicious

[He then pulls out one of the game books from the common room, hold it out to the right page for people to see]

i found this. the Researcher went quiet at me mentioning 'fleshbags' but i'm not sure if that means anything yet.

[mightdoriya]

[It might be an...unconventional way to set up a meeting, but Izuku doesn't particularly mind it or find it overly strange. It's...almost comforting, something that he feels like is needed given everything that's been happening so far. So after running back to his room to grab his own notebook and other pertinent things, he returns and comes into the makeshift blanket fort. He'll sit nearish to across from where Neku is sitting, writing in his own notebook before handing off a book that he found in the library earlier in the week.] I've been holding onto this book I found at the library. It's mostly information about the technological advances of elevators. That's not the interesting part, though. Whoever had this book last has been writing in it, and I think it was written in before we all got here.

[hyaku]

[It feels really reliable to have someone step up and gather everyone around for a meeting, honestly. It seems like a really good idea to be able to share information or just have a chat with everyone else.

He wouldn't have thought of writing everything down because of the cameras, either, and that makes him even more impressed.]

The researcher is a robot. He said he once was, but a body can't contain him anymore and he hates the idea of being compared to Penny. I told him he was the same as everyone else and he kept refusing, telling me he was superior to everyone and everything around him.

But he's not. He's a robot made by a human named Miller. There has to be an off switch for him somewhere.

[windowsexplorer]

[Meredith is not in any way reluctant to enter the blanket fort.]

All right. First order of business: Penny. Isn't she the cutest?

[You can practically hear the :D :D :D in her voice. Meanwhile she writes very quickly:]

Got files from her phone. More detailed profiles, app to watch the cameras, personal notes. Nothing big. She likes most of us.

Researcher is "HDP" in Oregon Trail. Game was also played by a "MHS."

Found a cool crystal buried in the greenhouse that seemed to want to connect to something but couldn't find a signal.

[aragona]

[Sonia scribbles some notes on a blank sheet of paper, rips it out, and slides it across a table.]

The OS they use is called H.P.OS which replaced MoS v.6

This isn't anything I encountered in my life has anyone heard of it?

The computers in the lab are old, but the one in the Master Control Facility has higher computing power despite running on the same OS/span>

[biolence]

[Rosa shows up for the meeting medium-late, examines the notebook she's handed with a scowl, and then goes to work scribbling down a message in her own notebook:]

I learned that everyone here is a weirdo or an idiot or a child and we're basically trapped here without at least a gun or two.

[eudaimonikos]

[This morning, Michael is inexplicably hanging around in the kitchen! He's going through all the pre-packaged stuff in the freezer, turning boxes over in his hands and scanning the labels and cooking instructions.]

...well, I'm not a child...

[Eventually, he puts it all back and cracks an egg in a frying pan instead. He's turned the heat up as far as it will go, and no butter or any other ingredients at all have been involved in this. So...that'll probably turn out some way or other.

After that mess, he'll be in the library for most of the rest of the day. Lounging across one of the chairs, he's got a big pile of books on the table next to him. He's flipping through them pretty quickly, just scanning the pages before moving on, like some kind of obnoxious speed-reader. When he settles down to read one at a normal person speed, it's with a bit of a different air; he glances up at anybody entering the room, like he's a little self-conscious.]

kitchen

[canbebeautiful]

Not to rain on your parade or anything, but are you gonna grease that pan?

[She just came in here for juice. Why this.]

kitchen

[biolence]

[Rosa's sitting in the corner drinking something that looks like water and watching Michael try to cook. Eventually, she lets out a snort.]

Should've stuck with the Kid Cuisines, dude.

Library

[mockmods]

[Well, don't flip through those books too fast, Michael. You might miss the loose sheet of paper tucked into one of them.]

Monday

[mockmods]

Today, the Dining Hall is serving:
Breakfast: Beans on Toast
Lunch: Roasted Beast Sandwiches
Dinner: Grub

GROUP CHALLENGE

[mockmods]

“Good afternoon, everyone! All participants, please gather in the dining area, thank you!”

[The announcement goes out an hour or so after lunch; it’s the first time any of the participants has heard from Penny since Friday morning. As they arrive, the Assistant is waiting there patiently for all of them, looking much more chipper than when she fled into the Security office days ago.]

[The cafeteria tables have been rearranged a bit, with a variety of what looks to be baking supplies, up to and including miniature ovens hauled out from who knows where. There are six stations total, three on each side of the room. Banners hang over each side, declaring themselves A and B.]

“Sal-u-tations! Thank you all so much for coming, this is our first Team Challenge!”

[Penny actually claps a little, excited at the prospect.]

“What you’re going to do is separate by teams- that’s the A dorms on one side and B on the other- and then separate into three teamed groups. Each station has a little card-”

[She holds one up to demonstrate. It’s a fairly large, hand-written index card.]

“These all have a simple recipe on them, and directions! Each station is going to make the dessert on their card! There’s no time limit, but the time you take WILL factor in to whichever team wins. Teams will be judged based on all three station groups on their side, so try not to worry too much, work together, and have fun!”

[And after that- the Participants are largely left to their own designs. The setup is more or less exactly as Penny describes it- but it quickly becomes apparent that what she didn’t say was that each station seems to be missing one or more ingredients or tools necessary for their recipe.]

[Better try to borrow that from another station on your team’s side, or find it in the kitchen. Or try to steal it from the other team’s side, if you want to risk it.]

Tuesday

[mockmods]

Today, the Dining Hall is serving:
Breakfast: Egg and Potato Scramble
Lunch: Asian Inspired Chicken and Rice
Dinner: Soft Taco Tuesday Night

MOTIVE: Bread and Circuses

[mockmods]

"Everyone to the common area, please! Thank you!"

[Penny's announcement comes earlier in the day this time, just after breakfast. But she's looking just as chipper as yesterday, maybe more so, when everyone arrives in common room.]

"Salutations, everyone! Our team challenge went SENSATIONALLY yesterday, and I want to thank everyone for contributing the way they did."

[She scrolls through her phone a little, checking some notes.]

"I want to especially mention Mister Midoriya for stepping up and taking a leadership role on Team A, Mister Shiego for reaching across team boundaries, and- Misters King Rool and Spy for. Um. Being so creative with their pasta dish."

[Guys. Guys. Just. There wasn't even any pasta at the cooking stations. How.]

"Since everyone did so well, we're going to-"

If I may, Assistant.

"Mister Researcher-?"

[Penny looks up, a little confused, and slightly worried.]

"....Y-es? I mean. I don't see why not?"

Thank you.

[The Researcher's tones are the same as always, but one might reasonably suspect that he is not actually thankful at all, if one were sufficiently paranoid.]

The Assistant is... largely correct, regarding your performance on the challenge. And I have deliberated, and decided that as a result, some modifications should be made to Rule 7 on a temporary trial basis.

[Penny actually perks up a little, at that.]

TEAM B. You performed in a- satisfactory manner. I believe a small reward is in order.

[And one of the walls of the common room lights up, revealing itself as a display screen, showcasing a basket of food.]

If any member of Team B enacts Rule 7 before the end of the week, they will receive a free lifetime supply of groceries. Am I not generous?

"MISTER RESEARCHER THAT'S- wait, what."

TEAM A, your performance was relatively lacking. I believe incentive to improve in the future is needed.

[The screen blinks, switching from the cornucopia of groceries to- a collage of photos, from Team A's collective childhoods or general pasts. None of them are flattering, and most are frankly embarassing moments, the kind you forget about until you're awake in bed at 2am five years later.]

If no one on Team A enacts Rule 7 by the end of the week, these photos will be broadcast or otherwise distributed across your home worlds. That is all.

[The screens go blank, clicking back to normal white wall, and the loudspeakers grow dark. Penny shifts a little uncomfortably.]

"There's- um. ...I was going to host a movie night in the media room this evening. If. If anyone wanted to come... There will be popcorn and drinks."

[mightdoriya]

[So...that happened. It feels like that whole event yesterday didn't really amount to much at all, especially since the "reward" seems too good to be true anyway. At least, he doubts that anyone would actually believe the Researcher's claims as far as they can throw them, despite what he's done so far. He's not exactly in the interest of doing what's in their best interest, after all. So once that announcement has been made, Izuku leaves for the dorms, not returning until later in the day. Once everyone has dispersed, Izuku will be seeking out Shinso, stopping him whenever he finds him in a hallway, the common room, wherever.] Do you have a minute to talk, Shinso-kun? [In the evening, Izuku decides to head to the media room early before Penny's planned movie night. He won't be in the way or anything, and he'll offer a helping hand if needed, but otherwise he's seated with his head buried in his notebook again looking very pensive and wrapped up in his thoughts.]

Re: Tuesday

[in4apounding]

Movie Night!!

8pm in the Media Room

Snacks & Drinks Provided!

[Even if Penny hadn't mentioned the movie night at the motive announcement, it's pretty obvious who the fliers all over the facility are from. Especially since she also tracks down and personally invites everyone as eight o'clock approaches.]

[The media room is now playing host to an actual popcorn machine, with bags of warm popcorn already scooped and waiting. A cooler of canned soft drinks and bottled water sits on a table along with a small selection of packaged snacks from the vending machines.]

[And. There's just one of the vending machines from the dining area in a corner now. It wasn't there before.]

[And Sonia hasn't been forgotten; a few warmed blood bags rest at the end of the snack table, next to a "vampires only" sign in Penny's writing.]

Good evening, everyone! I hope you'll be able to enjoy this- um. In spite of everything. Please let me know if you need anything else.

[And as everyone finishes filing in and finding their seats, the lights dim and the movie begins.]

[hyaku]

["I look forward to seeing your efforts."

Right after the motive, like many others, Shigeo has to spend some time in his dorm to think. Really think about all of this. He's never felt so powerless before-- it's never been that urgent to have powers to begin with until really recently, and now they're completely gone when he needs them again. It's a really frustrating feeling, honestly. It's frustrating and confusing, and he wished his master was here to give him some kind of advice about this. Anything. He made a bold statement about making sure no one dies but without his powers what can he really do...?

He thinks back to the competition, to the fact that Izuku was so good at getting his team to work together despite them losing. He has a way with words that influences people really easily, and it's why he's become good friends with him in such a short amount of time. If he could just learn to be like him, to use his words to move people rather than the powers he's relied on his entire life, then maybe...]

About what happened today, um... I... uh.... n...nothing like that is going to happen to you. I.. won't let it.

[He says that to a pillow he's propped up on his bed with a sheet of paper taped to the front, a face drawn on.

It isn't until the evening, before the movies that Shigeo leaves his dorm, looking particularly nervous despite the calm expression on his face. When he sees someone from team B, he'll walk over to them and get their attention.]

Um.. you don't have to kill anyone over groceries, okay? We're supposed to be a team and.. and I don't think killing anyone over anything is okay.

And if you're worried about someone hurting you... I won't let them.

[He says that with faked confidence, but it's all he's got.

Likewise, from team A you'll get something similar.]

I don't know anything about your past.. but.. you know.. I don't think it's okay to kill someone over it. We need to work together.. right?

And.. if you're scared about something happening, I'll protect you.

[He'll show that stupid researcher his resolve. No one's going to die here ever again.]

[windowsexplorer]

[Meredith gives things some time to settle down after the motive, and herself some time to collect her thoughts, then heads for the security room to talk to Penny.

The only other thing of any particular significance she does today is head for the library and search the shelves for... something. Honestly, she isn't sure what she's looking for. Something that jumps out at her.]

Wednesday

[mockmods]

Today, the Dining Hall is serving:
Breakfast: Chicken N' Waffles
Lunch: "Fish" Sticks?
Dinner: Beef Stu

[aragona]

[The heck is going on in the dining hall? Sonia takes a sniff at the mysterious meats out at lunch, clutching onto another bag of blood in her hands. She prods the soft supposedly-fish on the heating plates but decides that there's no point if she can't eat.

Until she sees you.]

Is this even edible?

[Otherwise, she's in the garden sipping at a bottle of wine - no, it has blood in it. Drinking blood with one hand and wielding a tree branch in the other, whacking at tree trunks. The weapon is awkward, but when she starts jabbing, she takes on the proper fencing form. It's like using a rapier, only heavier.]

Thursday

[mockmods]

Today, the Dining Hall is serving:
Breakfast: Make Your Own Pancake Bar
Lunch: Nacho Bar
Dinner: Surf N' Turf Steak with Imitation Lobster