A Question of Humanity

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:55 pm

Dane took a deep breath. "We've got to leave," he said. He pushed out of the tent back to the others. "We've got to go," he said, lurching toward the packs. He hastily repacked, transferring useful supplies into one large backpack and strewing the discards around. "We can't stay here. Take what you can carry."

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:14 pm

Nadya looked up as Dane rushed back into the darkened command tent. The big man was trembling all over, his eyes wild and all but spinning in their sockets. He ran around the room, tossing various things in a large backpack.

"What happened? What did you see?"

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Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:15 pm

"Death," said Dane.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:19 pm

"What? What happened? You're not making any sense!"

She limped up to him, and took him by the arm.

"Calm down. It's all going to be alright. Take a deep breath and tell me what you saw."

-----------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:28 pm

"No," he said. "It's not going to be alright. I saw what they found. Why they ran. I've spent half my life looking for it, one way or the other." A spasm rent his frame and something like choking or a sob came from his throat. Then he broke into hysterical laughter.

"All that time looking and I crash into it." He chuckled again. His eyes stared right through the Russian woman as if she wasn't there. "Police reports, historical records, archeological papers, occult books, nothing. And it's here."

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:24 am

Zachary stiffened and turned to face Dane. It has to be something else. I didn't come all the way here and live through a fucking plane crash to get eviscerated by that fuck before I've even found out what it is.

"What did you see?" Zach demanded through clenched teeth. His pulse pounded. His eye hurt. The injury on his forehead had started bleeding again.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:21 am

"Pictures of the cave walls. Symbols. Nonsense gibberish that might be related to proto-Indoeuropean. Or madman's babble. But it can't be madman's babble. I didn't -oh God. I've searched everywhere and found nothing. This isn't an accident. It spared me for a reason and now it wants me. Oh God no."

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:04 pm

The big man was ranting hysterically, screaming out random gibberish among bursts of laughter. Nadya turned to Zach, only to find him rigid, gaping at them both with eyes full of terror, as best she could see in the darkened tent.

She let go of Dane's arm and stumbled back, leaning against the tent wall for support.

The terror, it was all coming back to her. She felt herself in the burning airplane again. She thought she was safely out, in a camp but the promise of salvation turned into a nightmare.

None of this was supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to crash into the jungle, the camp was not supposed to be abandoned, the radio was supposed to be working, and her companions were not supposed to go crazy and start ranting about proto-Indoeuropean symbols on the walls of a pre-Columbian cave.

This is not happening. This is not happening.

Nadya found herself sitting on the earthern floor, hyperventilating.

This is not happening. This is not happening

Suddenly, the world slowed down, became clearer as it did before in the plane. With it came the calmness that surprised her before. She could see the outlines of the desks, the books and maps that covered them now mostly on the floor, carelessly tossed there by Dane's rampage. She picked up the one next to her. It was the radio log.

Something DID happen here she noted. She remembered the exchange of messages just before the current ones- a worker had gone mad and dumped all their fuel supplies.

Slowly, she looked at the two men. Dane, still raving about "It" that is wating for him, and Zach, staring at him and shock.

It was not supposed to be like this!

"Zach," she said. "Listen to me. We have to calm him down. Can you help me?"

-----------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:28 pm

Dane looked at Nadya. "My whole family butchered. My sister missing. They found me in a corner covered in blood. I was five. I don't remember a thing. Do you understand? That's where I've seen those symbols before. That's why I can't forget."

"Do you understand? I'm not insane. Everyone here is gone, the one other place in the world that has these symbols. And I'm here by coincidence? Does that sound rational to you?" He waved the machete. "Arming ourselves and getting the fuck out of here now is fucking rational."

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:48 pm

"Put the machete down for a second, all right? You're making us a bit uncomfortable just waving it around like that." Zach held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture and took a couple steps back.

Just do what I say. Please don't flip shit on us.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:09 pm

"Oh thank god," Nadya whispered under her breath. She was afraid the other man would believe him.

"It's all going to be alright. No one is going to hurt you here. Please put the machete down and we can talk."

A cave...he mentioned a cave of some sorts. Could it be...some sort of psychoactive spores or something? Possibly light sensitive, probably originating in the cave. The cave that the expedition was studying.

Just get the machete away from the man, and keep away from the cave at all costs and we should be fine, right?

----------------------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:47 pm

"We're talking right now," said Dane. "You're not listening. We've got to go before whatever the fuck it gets us."

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:53 pm

"Go where? Out there in the jungle? In the dark? How far will we get? The nearest village is 30 kilometers away!"

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Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:13 pm

With a final gasp and whimper the last of the generators died out, the illuminance that spilled out of the cave and diffused through the tents dying away. Even the storm seemed to hold its breathe, the thunder and lightning ceasing, leaving the camp in total darkness, the only sound the rain striking the tress and tents.

The darkness ended though when the generators came back online. All of them. Illumination like the sun itself filled the camp, driving away the shadows like a dark tide receding. As they left though it became evident that they had taken Nadya with them, for she was completely missing as if she had never been.

From the direction of the archaelogical tent there was the fading chatter of voices shouting in Spanish, garbled by distance and echoes into incomprehension.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 7:50 am

"Too late," whispered Dane. "Too late." Why had it left him? Why had it taken his sister, and now Nadya, and left him? Why hadn't it butchered him as it had his parents? What the fuck was it? What did it want?

He dropped the machete on the table. What was the point of running? It could just reach out and Nadya was gone. He sucked in a ragged breath.

If running wouldn't work, then there was fighting. What chance did he have? Pretty close to zero. He laughed.

Fuck it. He was fucked either way. One way he might get answers or at least some satisfaction. He picked up the machete. A gun would be nice, but it would do. The camp had lanterns. Time to see what was in the cave.

Soontir948 · Post by **Soontir948** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:56 pm

When Dane bolted out of the tent, Andy found himself alone too slow to react and follow. Behind him was the cave opening and it made him very afraid. It ain't no subway tunnel. No signal boxes, no lights, no emergency exits. Just the glyphs and who knows what else.

"Oh, jeeze. Why didn't I ran out with Dane?", he said aloud.

Once the lights died out, it became real dark inside the tent. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!." Without letting his eyes adjust to the sudden dimness he started walking to hopefully the exit. Instead he was walking towards the cave and only stop short when the powerful lights came back on.

As soon as he said, "Ohhhh thank you god", he started hearing voices, words in Spanish spoken to fast coming from the cave. It sent a chill through his bones. He managed to will himself to bring forth the cliche whether to drown out their voices or to find out who they were he didn't know; "Wh, who's there! Wha wha wha what do you want! What do you want!"

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:52 pm

While Dane responded to Nadya's disappearance with a sort of quiet madness, Zachary was much the opposite.

"Holy shit! Holy fucking shit what the fuck!?" The medic practically flew away from the spot where she had been standing, knocking over a table and himself. He lay sprawled in stunned silence as Dane exited with murder in his eyes.

It was some time before Zach became aware of Dane's exit. He slowly climbed to his feet, and looked for some kind of weapon.

Hefting a broken maglite, he followed after the big man. He had no idea what he was getting into, but Zach sure as hell didn't want to be out here by himself.

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:47 am

From the cave a shout of fear went up.

From the distance, the sound of metal tearing in a world ending cataclysm and the ground shaking.

Just as Dane's hand shoved aside the tent flap, the lights flickered, plunging the whole camp into darkness for a fraction of a second. During that fraction of a second a feeling of unease, like simultaneously lying on the ground while standing up, passed over everyone.

The flicker was enough time for things to change again.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:06 pm

Gripping her machete- a parting gift from one of the escaping expedition members, left behind in a tent, Nadya made her way across the deserted camp. The cold rain beating on her raincoat made her shiver. Something was wrong here. She had to find out what.

The answer lied in the command tent, she was sure of that. Carefully, she passed by the long tent and was about to enter the command tent, when the flap flew open, and out stumbled the big man who saved her on the plane, his face white.

He stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her, his eyes widening. How odd, Nadya thought. He stared at her, then at his empty right hand, then at her again.

"There are dry clothes and supplies in the tents," she explained, looking into his mad eyes. "And survival tools- I've taken some, we'll do an inventory later. First, we have to find out what the happened here. A scientific expedition does not just suddenly abandon camp in the middle of a storm like this. Something has happened here, and I want to know what"

---------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:35 am

Dane stared at her, dumbstruck.

Soontir948 · Post by **Soontir948** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:50 am

Andy knows he's weak in the arms but a good swing from the shovel he found ought to bring down whomever is down in the cave. "Show yourself!", he cried. The mutterings stopped though and then when he heard the shout of fear, he froze again. Was it some kind of ritual? But before he could even say it aloud in his head, a loud bang shot out and the ground shook. Then for a moment he felt unease but it soon past and all was quiet again.

He didn't know what to feel or think. Looking around, the voices were gone, the lights still on, everything seemed to have turned serene when just a few minutes or was it a minute, that chaos ensued. Noticing the photographs he and Dane were looking at seemed to have changed positions. "Wait a second, didn't I have a shovel in my hand?", he thought. Andy soon saw it laying where it was before.

"What in the name of... I better get back to the others." Andy walked out and went back to the command tent where he last saw the rest and where Dane probably went back to.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:56 pm

The man just kept staring at her, looking like he just saw a ghost.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong? What did you see in that tent?"

Something is definitely not right here.

-----------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:45 pm

"Games," said Dane. His voice rose. "Fucking games!"

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:19 pm

Zach practically ran right into Dane as he exited the tent. His gaze immediately focused upon Nadya.

"What the shit?"

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:43 pm

The big man was not making any sense. "Games," he said, his voice rising. "Fucking games!"

Instinctively, Nadya pulled back, putting herself out of arm reach.

Then the flap moved again, and out came the medic.

He was also staring at her. It had to be something to do with her.

She looked herself over. Aside from the new clothes, a few scratches and bruises and a wound on her leg, she appeared to be as she remembered herself.

None of this made any sense. Nothing at all.

"What's wrong? Did I do something?" she asked the two men.

----------------------------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

LibriumArcana.Games

A Question of Humanity

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