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tdm 18

test drive meme

Ingress travel can be disorienting, but there’s no need to worry! All side effects are temporary and lessen with each trip. Your body may experience several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You may have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. You notice that the area you are in is filled with a soft cerulean light and feels slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you. Regardless of your current state, however, the stress of initial Ingress travel forces your body into unconsciousness.

Waking up is another story. Or maybe it isn’t.

You find yourself in a nondescript room; sometimes with others who have found themselves in the same situation, sometimes alone. A medical tech is always present to explain what’s happened before giving you some clothes, a TAB, and a guide that discusses things in further detail. This entire process also consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health in order to obtain your signature—a specific frequency that will allow them to hone in on exactly where it is you’re from in order to get you back there.You spend your first week on the Ingress Complex while other accommodations and arrangements are made for you.

welcome to thisavrou

phanos

⋆ Phanos is classified as Exploration Class (EC) and is open to all travelers. The dry heat on the planet is overwhelming, but it's important that as many people as possible visit so that scientists can track down the origin of a strong signal pulsing somewhere on the planet. Its frequency indicates that if it is found, Ingress engineers may be able to hone in on people's signatures to send them home. However, frequent dust storms on the planet's surface are causing interference. It is strongly advised that investigators visit in groups—and keep their mouths closed!

⋆ Between dust storms, at the ege of the sandy plains, travelers will notice a series of pyramid-like structures. The smallest ones are just a few feet high, and the largest reach as high as ten-story buildings. Those who press on will find the terrain more difficult, as they must trek through increasingly dense clusters of pyramids of all sizes. Eventually, the pyramid 'forest' clears to reveal the largest pyramid of all, the size of a small mountain. Its peak is guarded by nests of griffin-like creatures which are no larger than a medium-sized dog. Those with combat skills should be in no danger, unless a whole nest attacks at once!

⋆ Multiple stone doors built into the top of the pyramid lead into a surprising space: a sleek lab, filled with incredibly advanced technology. Scientists, engineers and techies could happily spend years studying the equipment and deciphering the data it contains. But in the darkest corners, there's a quiet chittering...are the travelers really alone?

OUT OF CHARACTER INFO

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For mature or graphic content, please label.For questions, please direct them to the FAQ or the Feedback page. Any scenarios listed (unless otherwise indicated) can be used as game canon. As always, be kind and have fun!

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[ There has to be some poetic irony to this, somewhere: Venom Snake, armed with knowledge that Revolver Ocelot doesn't have? Venom Snake, being the one to guide Revolver Ocelot through awkward introductions in any capacity?

Whether or not Ocelot remembers his last stint here (unlikely, given the nature of his message) can be set aside for now, and despite the changing nature of Venom's autonomy in a place devoid of his duty, seeing a familiar name appear from his homeworld lends itself to perspective.

More importantly— despite everything, Venom can't help but quirk a half-smile to himself as he responds. Only after filtering their conversation to private, of course. ]

First time for everything.

[ The sender of this text is marked as 'Venom Snake', so that should give him away. ]

[ a time might come when Ocelot will truly appreciate the irony of this whole situation. of not remembering something that he should, of having to rely on the same phantom he helped create.

but for now, he's more annoyed than anything else. ]

Boss.

[ he's still getting his bearings. while he might've felt more comforted if John had been the one to greet him, Venom was still the next best thing. ]

You've been here long?

[ not that he could have been here that long because he distinctly remembers talking to him back home not more than two days ago.

but hey, stranger things have happened. ]

[ Venom Snake, the awkward third wheel in Ocelot and Big Boss's ongoing partnership. If text could sound disappointed, that's probably what Venom is seeing right now, on his screen.

It makes him laugh under his breath, brows turned down and shoulderblades pressed to the nearest wall. ]

Almost a year. Probably something we should talk about in person.

Give me a location, and I'll find you.

[ Quick and to the point, as per usual. No mincing words, no 'good to see you'.

(he can also say that in person, after all. sorry, ocelot.) ]

[ sorry, Boss. you'll still always be his second-favourite Snake, for what it's worth.

as he reads Venom's text, he really wants to say he's surprised, but... given everything else that's been going on these past couple days, that'd be a complete lie. and what was the point of lying to himself right now?

hell, there's a part of him that's half-convinced this is all a fever-dream. some side effect of the self-hypnosis that he hadn't anticipated. ]

Ingress.

Bring a white horse, if you have one.

[ he hopes Venom appreciates the attempt at humour. ]

[ If Venom were pettier, he'd be inclined to think that this is karmic justice for all the times he'd seen the world in double, for all the times he'd heard Ocelot and only related to his words as a passive observer instead of an active participant. But that's never been Venom's style: the eye-for-an-eye principle always seemed like a hypocritical way to go about things. He's never been innocent, and no one has ever truly been 100% guilty.

At any rate, for a while, the communications stop there. There's no witty return quip to the request for a horse (he'll think of investing in one if it means so much to Ocelot), no ETA. Just a long stretch of silence, which is, at the very least, consistent with the fake Snake's modus operandi.

Approximately 20 minutes pass before there's a change in scenery. It's not a white horse that heralds Venom's arrival, no, but a white-gray blur of fur that sprints towards Ocelot and jumps, stretching hind legs to paw at the Russian's shirt.

DD barks in greeting, and Venom follows a few paces behind. ]

Ocelot. [ That's it. That's his entire "hello", delivered with the same patient placidity that Venom always wears in every situation, even when the sky is fucking falling.

Still, he seems to realize that that's underwhelming. So he follows that with an upwards quirk of his lips, a leonine cant of his head. ] Got some questions for me?

[ Ocelot waits because... what else can he really do at this point? the sooner that he can get answers from Venom, the sooner he can start to feel more like himself again. for someone who's managed to stay one step ahead of everyone else for most of his life, it was a... disorienting experience to say the least.

but all of those thoughts are forgotten when a very familiar face is on top of him.

he thought that they'd moved past this. ]

DD!

[ if he hadn't believed Venom's words, he'd have definitely believed it after seeing the state DD was in. he ruined ~~their~~ the dog. months of discipline and training gone down the drain, and for what?!

he gestures with his hands, hoping that DD still remembered some of his commands. ~~the first thing he wants to do is take he damn dog back for remedial training, he swears. it's perhaps the one thing he can control~~.

he nods in acknowledgement to Venom, and really... a part of him just wants to say 'what the fuck'? but he's not about to let his guard down all that easily. so instead, he gets straight down to business, his face betraying little emotion, save for his continued irritation about DD. ]

Give me a full rundown of the situation.

[ he gets a feeling that DD's training is bound to be the least of his worries. ]

[ Old dogs, new tricks, etc. Fortunately for Ocelot, DD's intelligence outweighs his enthusiasm: as glad as he is to see a familiar face, those given cues are ingrained. If he hesitates for just a split half-beat, it's because it's been a while since anyone's used that tone with him.

(someone's been slacking.)

And right along that trajectory— well. Here's Venom Snake, dead and dying and breathing, lips still curved in whatever amusement he might still have left for their current predicament. As familiar as DD finds his original handler's commands, there's an ingrained compulsion for Venom to feel the same way about Ocelot. If there was ever a time when Ocelot's title as advisor was true to the etymology— advising— it's passed.

Tell Venom what to do, and he'll do it. ]

That's gonna take a while. [ and we all know how much of a propensity Venom has towards long briefings, which is, to put it generously, not much. ] You might want to be sitting down for this.

[ Which is simultaneously a way to tell Ocelot that there's a lot to be filled in on, and that not everything is going to be Great. Which is par for the course, so Venom doesn't look apologetic as much as understanding: yes, it's always overwhelming to be on the receiving side of an infodump. ]

Edited (do you ever edit 500 times) 2017-06-19 03:42 (UTC)

[ he notices that split-second hesitation, and his eyes narrow. someone is going to be getting some extra training. it might be the one damn thing that he currently has control of in this place, and he'll be damned if he's not going to reach out and take it.

and meanwhile, he has to place his trust in Venom. but, he supposes that there were worse people out there to trust, even if everything about this whole situation seems completely backwards. ]

Don't worry. I'll be fine.

[ consider it... practice. just to see if even in an unfamiliar place, he can manage to convince the both of him that he's still in control (even when they both know that couldn't be further from the truth). classic doublethink.

however, Venom's warning does give him a chance to prepare himself, if nothing else. let's see just how much more of a trip this place is going to take him on. ]

[ 'Fine'. Venom doesn't doubt it— he can't think of a time when Ocelot hasn't been fine.

So he eases, posture upright but relaxed, held together at its seams as he folds his arms across his chest. Roots inside himself for the proper words to convey what Ocelot needs to know, which is a concept that's far too vast for Venom's own understanding. Even if he was Big Boss— the real one— the big-picture end of things was always more Ocelot's area.

His feet shift on polished linoleum, their surroundings as artificial as the circumstances behind it. None of this is logically feasible, and Venom is sometimes inclined to believe that he won't remember any of it. But it's still worth discussing. ]

You heard the introductory explanations from the Ingress technicians. [ He assumes. The whole spiel on interdimensional travel, alternate timelines, a malfunctioning machine that pulls people from different 'worlds'. Everything that you'd expect as the plotlines of a bad B movie. ] Hard pill to swallow, but it's true— I've heard that this is the second time I've been here, and I don't remember there being a first time.

[ Don't ask him about the science, there's no way Venom can even begin to explain that. ]

As far as I know, we've been pulled here by chance. Also up to chance to see if we get sent back. [ A long breath here, to ease himself through. ] ...Following all of this?

[ Ocelot braces himself for something, and... so far, there was nothing too earth-shattering. mind you, for most people, this would all be a lot to take in, but from where he was standing, this was still the least bizarre thing about the whole situation. ]

Makes about as much sense as anything, I guess.

[ though now it makes him wonder about a few things. if you could be here multiple times, what does that even mean?

...maybe it was slightly more mind-breaking than he'd initially thought. ]

[ Meaning isn't what Venom is looking for, not exactly; if they can be pulled here without consequence as many times as the space-time continuum allows, it's not a matter of meaning for Venom so much as it's how he should conduct himself until the universe decides to stop roughhousing.

But, again. Not the philosophical debate he's looking for. ]

Another thing. [ Here's the slow ease into more nebulous territory, and—

—it's not that Venom is unsure, but the trepidation shows. That's usually what it is, when people stall over their own thoughts. ]

People from our future are here. [ Fucking preposterous, but true. ] ...Eli, for example.

[ He hesitates on 'David', the second of those two 'terrible' children. ]

[ see, now there's something that's a little more interesting. he's not going to ask Venom any of the logistics of it, but given everything else that's happened so far, it's not outside the realm of possibility. ]

...So he survived his whole island ordeal. Figures. The kid's got some tough genes.

[ now he gets the distinct feeling that Venom is beating around something. he could've told you that Eli was probably still out there. ]

Go on.

[ besides... "he who controls the past controls the future". let's hear what it has in store. ]

[ None of this is anything Ocelot wouldn't have found out through the network and the extensive contact information, anyway; obfuscation is difficult when technology practices transparency. Still, the frown that flits across the patterned rise and fall of Venom's face is a momentary red flag of empathy. Incongruous on those artificial features, too soft.

He buys himself some time. Quirks the corner of his lips in a smile that doesn't quite reach his eye. ]

You're taking this pretty well. [ Stating the obvious is Deflection 101— maybe not even. Deflection for Toddlers. A bit insulting, to be honest, leveled against a Masterclass in Spying. ] ...Eli's twin. David. He's here, too.

[ And he has baggage in spades. ]

[ you see, the thing about being raised from birth to be a spy, and self-taught in the "art of interrogation" means that he might know when someone's avoiding telling him something.

John had never been great at bullshitting. Venom was worse, if that was possible. ]

Figures. [ all they needed was Zero's secret project, and they'd have the full set of "anfents terribles". ]

Just tell me what it is you think I don't want to hear.

[ he knows enough that he can guess what it has to do with. point one: people from their "future" happen to be here. point two: the "children" were those people. point three: venom is beating around the bush about something.

best case scenario, Venom's going to tell him that in the future, he's dead. worst case...

well. he'd cross that bridge when he gets there. ]

[ Lies are all about knowing which doors to open and which doors to close— Venom's trajectory is too straightforward, his written lines of code too steadfast. The only lies he can tell are those by omission.

Naturally, he can choose to redact this report on David, but how much value is there in prolonging the inevitable? If there's one thing that Venom knows, really knows, it's that 'Adam' will always find a way to play the game from every angle.

So. Best to know which angles the Russian has to play with. ]

You know what I am, Ocelot.

[ He's the smokescreen, the exoskeleton of Big Boss. The genuine article doesn't die until the shell does, first; of course Venom's days are numbered. ]

David does exactly what you'd expect him to do.

[ He tips his head. Waits for an assessment. ]

Edited 2017-06-20 05:43 (UTC)

[ smart choice. it was one of the reasons that even after remembering the truth, he doesn't loathe working with Venom, like he might with others in a similar situation. ]

I see.

[ he's not going to insult Venom by saying he's sorry. it was perhaps, unfortunate, but it was still inevitable. given the way things were progressing with Cipher, it was only a matter of time before the casualties started to pile up. when it came down to it, Venom was a loss that he could happily live with.

and, that's still not enough to explain the evasiveness. after all, Venom knew the score better than most. there was more to it than just that. and while this was certainly not an interrogation, he intended to get every last bit of information Venom had. ]

So, David takes you out. I'm going to take a wild guess and say Cipher's involved. [ and, given one conversation that he had not long before he arrived, he was also betting that Miller couldn't have the decency to stay on-side. but, he needs more information to go on before he can make a real educated guess. ] And I'm willing to bet that's not where they stop.

[ so, who was the next casualty in their war going to be? ]

—Ocelot.

[ The name comes more as a sigh, gravel rolled from the back of Venom's throat. Whatever authority those syllables may have held in the past is halved; he may be 'Big Boss', but Venom Snake still isn't 'John'.

(it's not that Venom is cowed by Ocelot, no— Big Boss doesn't believe in submission. but sometimes he can't reconcile what he sees with what he knows, and his head starts splitting from its seams.) ]

Antagonizing David won't do us any good. Not here.

[ This is as far as Venom can go with his personal opinions. Eye narrowed to mirror his grim frown, humming a low note under his breath.

He can answer Ocelot's questions, but this is the one point he has to make first. Considering, you know. That David sends them all to hell, basically. ]

Edited 2017-06-21 00:45 (UTC)

[ he's heard that tone a time or two before, though it doesn't have quite the same impact when it's 'Ocelot' and not 'Adam'.

(but there was only one man who ever called him by his real name. and he wasn't 'Venom Snake') ]

Boss...

[ now, this request is starting to tell him more of what he needs to know. first of all, Venom knows that Ocelot rarely, if ever, acts in blind fury, unlike some people that they both know (Miller). however, clearly Venom thinks that whatever 'David' did would be enough that he'd go out of his way to antagonize him. which is leading him towards a conclusion that he'd hoped he wouldn't have to consider.

he's silent for a while, before finally... ]

...You can't go after someone for something that hasn't happened yet.

[ regardless of the changed circumstances, he still respects 'Big Boss'. and he needs to know what the future has in store. ]

[ There's something morbid about the flood of relief that rises from the pit of Venom's stomach when he hears Ocelot speak, something that feels like the emotional equivalent of muscle memory. Compliance with what he knows to be true— his loyalty— is so much more uncomplicated than the daily grind of figuring out who he is here.

Venom's eye flutters closed for a half-second. ]

I know. [ A soft huff, mildly self-deprecating. ] —Just wanted to hear you say that.

[ As an affirmation, as something to hold Ocelot to. As far as playing poker with Ocelot goes, Venom is never going to have enough chips; that doesn't mean he won't take one or two. ]

...Whatever I'm gonna say, it's probably already crossed your mind. [ So, here's Venom being candid. ] David is going to kill 'Big Boss'.

[ Not just Venom, but the entire title. ]

[ he might've known that the words were coming but that doesn't mean that they still didn't sting. as much as he can try and say nothing impacts him, the news, combined with the fact he still has no idea where the hell he is, almost causes him to lose his composure for a split second. his brow furrows and his hands clench.

but, the moment passes, and Ocelot is back to thinking about this rationally. David was going to kill Venom and John. this was the current assumption they were working off of, but that didn't answer a few key questions. ]

How.

[ he imagines that one man in particular helped him. one man, who, if all of this does come to pass will suffer the longest and most excruciating death that anyone could hope to ask for.

and his second question. ]

Where am I in all of this?

[ because that's going to be key to understanding the whole damn thing. if he's dead... well. at least he knows what to prepare for. but if he's still alive...

that's where things might just get interesting.

~~after all, he'd never had any intention of outliving 'big boss'.~~ ]

[ It's the trained eye of a medic that catches the physical cues, instincts honed from the years he'd spent pre-stasis with his fingers knuckles-deep in someone else's skin and sinew. Venom sees the momentary ripple on the surface of Ocelot's preternaturally still lake, and wonders, for a moment, if he should offer a palm to his shoulder.

Instead: ] Ocelot. [ A proper warning this time, to not get ahead of himself. ] I don't know the details. But as far as I know, you see things through.

[ It seems to be the general consensus that Ocelot is the common thread between all of them. Funny how that works, huh.

Venom's pinpoint focus fixes itself on his companion, steady and unflinching. ]

[ another flash of emotion stirs just beneath the surface at that warning, before he buries it down.

you see things through. what, he wonders, is he living for? what thoughts are going through his mind? he remembers that feeling he'd gotten when he'd first heard about the Caribbean, all those years ago. what would he feel this time, if it all really was over? he'd only ever had one weakness. what would it mean if it was gone?

but, he reminds himself, he still can't be sure of anything. the fact that both he and David are still alive should signal something, but he isn't sure what. ]

Where did you get this information?

[ a valid question, and one that should add another piece to a very jumbled puzzle. ]

[ It's obvious that Venom saw no reason to press beyond the scope of his jurisdiction. An abundance of information can be a hindrance when one's primary motive is to follow directives; it's not his place to decide where the future takes him.

And, again, there's that hesitation. A split-second shuffle of feet that his wolfdog picks up on, pricks his ears up in response to. ]

—From the source.

[ There's a cautionary undercurrent to his tone, here, only compounded upon in his next admission-to-come. ] Kaz is also here. He filled me in.

[ Unspoken: keep it civil. ]

[ really, he shouldn't be surprised. information gathering like this had never exactly been 'Big Boss''s speciality. really, he should be grateful that he has as much information as he does, given the situation.

and, of course Miller's here. isn't that just fantastic.

what he says next might be perhaps the most ironic thing he's ever said. ]

You can't trust him.

[ given the last conversation he had with the other man, he'd be willing to bet good money that he's at least partially responsible for this whole mess.

whether or not he decides to keep it civil remains to be seen. ]

He's made it clear that this future isn't the one he wanted for any of us.

[ Which is to say that Venom does trust Kaz, with the same empathy that he's currently extending to Ocelot. His angle of approach has always been different with his XO, who he still believes has been wronged— Kaz speaks to Venom's inherent need to preserve and uphold, because out of all of them, Venom has reason to believe that Kaz is the most vulnerable.

There are a lot of things that Venom himself is missing from the picture, the loose puzzle pieces that he doesn't deign to put together. Kaz is a blind spot for him, much in the same way that Ocelot can be. ]

...Ocelot. Whatever happens here may not have any bearing on what goes on in our world.

So don't get too hasty.

tdm 18

test drive meme

welcome to thisavrou

phanos

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