Event: Emergency Repairs, Part Three

[snowblindmods]

EMERGENCY REPAIRS

All energy collected is transferred to the administrator. One by one, as the groups down below the surface agree, they pass out. The network doesn't cut off--in fact, it finally merges with the network everyone is used to. All event network threads are visible to everyone now. It may not be obvious just yet, but symptoms begin to stabilize. Over the course of the remainder of the day, they will fade to nothing. Those below are unconscious for one hour. During that hour, the video feed begins to distort more and more, filling up with static and tearing, until, just as those below begin to stir, the feed cuts out. Ten, twenty, thirty seconds--then it's back, and things look different. Everyone is in a break room--the same break room. Perhaps they were always entering the break rooms together, even if they couldn't see one another. For those above and those below, the scenery beneath has changed. Each room is a dizzyingly high area filled with wires and machinery, cobbled together from who knows what. No, wait--is that a piece of a personal computer? Yes, certainly, and there's the door of an oven, and there's the armor Haurchefant abandoned, being welded by a glimmering metal spider to cover a gaping hole of exposed circuitry. Perhaps you'll recognize some of pieces of the items you expected to have with you but found missing, if they're made of metal and electronics. From a room just off camera, there's a tumbling roar like an impossibly large washing machine, slowly winding down. Then something crawls out. Everyone who looks at it will see someone different: someone familiar to them, someone they left behind at home, whether it's someone they miss or not. Then there's another, and another--a pool of congealed flesh and solid static, rolling and twisting on the floor, trying to form, trying, trying--a hand, slick with what might be blood, forms and reaches out of the puddle, stretching toward those trapped underground. The puddle burbles and boils and forms liquid words. "W̸̴̸͚̤̻̯̬͈̹̰̠̏̾̑͌ͧ̽͘͡h̴̵̨͙͙̫͍̯͔̖͚̰̹̲̫͙̹̫͍ͤ͑ͯ̓ͧ͂ͫ̇̅́͌͜ͅy̷̡̗̙͉̼̤̞͇̼͚̭ͦͧ͒ͪ͒͗ͦͭ̓͋̓ͩ̾̚ ͤ̂ͫ̂̄̏̔͘͏̶̟̲͙͕̮̙̘̗̥͉̰̫̞͙͉͝d̡̺̼̝̳̯̜͚̦̐ͦ̏̀͜͡i̴̛̞̱̗͉̭̩͎͔ͬͣͭͪͤͥͫ͛̓͗̋͠d̴̸̪̻̯͙̲ͣ̽̏ͭ̿̇̐̃ͨ͊͂̐ͫ̑͢͝ ͐͊̓ͧ͛̌͒̈̍̿͋̏̀̏̈̑̽̃͏̴̡̢͔͙̫̩̪̺͍͎̫̻̪̪͕͞Y̵̧̦̥̪̦̮̤̗̩̫̫ͤͤ̔̋̋̂̕͢͡O̸̜̠̻͇̦͙̣͎̠̭͑͐ͮ̊ͧ̔̿͌ͭ͐ͪ͞U̶̮̠͇̺͍̗̣͇̞̖̻̫͕͎͈̎̾ͥͨͫ͒̋̉̑̇ͬͯ͐̐͡ ̸̜͔̖͖̩͚̝̘̯̠ͯ͐͑̇ͨͫ̚͜w̨̤̳̹͕̞̥̮̥̘͗ͨͮ̄͊ͫ̋͗͌̒̓̉̾ͫ̌̈́ͮ̑̕͢͞h̷̨̛͖̫͕̫̩̺̥̱͇̾̅̒͛̒ͯ̆̋͂ͯ͗̐́y̴̨̡̠̩̟̬͕̦̘͕̼͉̱̳̩̝͎̱̓̇ͫ ͥ̒̑ͯ̅ͨ̒ͤ͆̐̆̅ͪ͑̃͗҉̡̨̺̻͎̱̯̜͖̗͕͍͈̥̻̱̹n̴̢̧͍̮̤̖͖͚̞͓̤̟̾̌͗ͥ͋̊ͩ̋͢͝ơ̡̰̩̫͙͕ͮ͐͆̽́͟͡t̵̢̢͗͆̀ͪ̍͋̋̉̆ͩ̆́͗ͭ̚͝͏̣͉̪̹̯̰̫̖͚͎̞̟̱̥ ̷̢͓̼̻͕̫̞̖͇͖͙̘͔̮̲͈̮̈́̊͒͑̅͆͒̔́͢͜ͅM̵̡̛̞̪̣̲͈̺̮̯̤̤̖̓͛ͬ̎̐ͦͧͫ̾̑͗̌͋ͮͧ́Ȩ̱͎̣̮̜̠̠̥̯͖̲̟̞͖͉͙̓ͫ̀̂̀̋͟͠ ̄ͬͥ̐ͦͨ̊̆҉̰͖̻̣͔̗͜͢͢T̴̶̖̹̝̗̠͚̊̋̅ͬͩ̂͐̋ͪͮͤͧͧ͋̋ͨ̐̚Ḩ̡̺̩͎̹̙͉̪͈̰̦̙̏̆͛̃̋ͧ̈́͊̈́͛́͝Ę̯͕̖͙͍̬͇͇̺̘̘͖͓̖̼̗̖͗ͥ̀ͥ͑̐̂͒͂̊̆̀͗̒̚ ̶͍͍̼̟͙̩̂ͬ͌ͨ̂̂̏̅́͢S̶͚̣̝͉̪̫̞͓̩͖̪͖͙̹̖̘̯ͣ͂ͪ̉̆͑ͯ͆̈͆͐̎̊ͣͮ̕͢ͅA̮̤͓̺̣̼̗̮̻̲͎͍̗͓̲̖̍͋ͫ̉͊̒ͦ͟͡M̶͋̎̈́͂͛̕͜͠҉͍̼̬͕̖E͚̞͍̠͔̲̬͚̅ͣ̉̋͋ͪ͐ͭ̾̔͛͒́́̚͢ ̵̨̤͓͔̬͎͙͎͉̬̫̞̄͌̆͆̂̈́̆͌̊̏ͭ̿̾ͫ͂ͯ̅̚͡ͅT̷̙̺͍͈̙͎̞̖̼̤̘̪̦͕̝͐͌̆͛́̚͟͢H̵̝̗̱͎͔̳̙̼͓͉ͪͦ̍̒͋͗̽̆̋͆̌̕͟Ẽ͐̀̎ͪ҉̨͉͓̗̫̝̦̲̟̩͇̣͖̪͍̝͜ͅ ̴̧̤͚̳͎̮̪̗̲̠͙͙̙͐̔̐̋̈́̅ͪ̎̋ͫ̏̅́͗̏ͪͨ͠͝S̸̷͖̩̺̝̗̼̠̜̗͊ͤ̎͑ͨ̓̃̑̍̀͘À̫̗̯̙͖͙̄̽͋̉ͭ̇̇̎̄̉ͥ͆ͩͫ̊͊͘̕͢M̒ͬͣͪͪ̊̈͒ͧ͑͐͗҉̞̼͍̱̻̘̭͢ͅEͨ́͂ͧ̒͛̌͛̽̾ͥ̎̓͏͚̲̯͖͖̭̟̻̖̠͇̗͜ ̡̱̣̮̺̩̩̦͚̦̬̓̑̀ͣͣ͛̉̕͝͠͠Ņ̸̯͎̻̞͉̠̜̺̼͖̗̼͍̼͇͈̘͆̍ͣ̿̽̈́͗̄͑ͨ͐ͧ͑Ō͖̙̜̬͈̻̺͖͍͉͍̳̱̹̥̮͗̑ͤ̊̃͂ͮ̋͋́ͬ̎͋͛̚͜ͅT̡̯̝̫̫̗͛ͧ̂͂̓́ͅ ̛̠̻̖̦̳̞̘̞͕̳̝͂ͩ̿̔̎͛̍̌̾́͘F̣̩̠͇͙͉͙̦̹͉̔̔̊̊͆̌̍̇̔̅̉̀́͡ͅǍ̸̢ͨ̒̽͑̅̑̂͑ͫ̇̑̾ͨ̚҉̡͚̭͙͖̻̦͔̬̯͔̙̣̬̣̬͜I̢̼̝͉͉̲ͣ͑̀̆̕R̢̛̪̱͇͕̖͖̙̬͖͚͈̲͈̞͎̯̙̻̿͒ͩ͐̔ͭͧ͑ͪ̅̃̿͂͆̏̇̏ͅ ̢͕̭͕̱̯̱̰̞̺̳̟͎̗̹ͥ̓͑̍ͦ̽ͨ̽͢N̶̸̴̬̟̖͇̞͎͚ͬ̊̌͗́ͥͩ̈̓ͤ͊̈ͯ̇̽Ō̸̸̘͕̯̟̤̹͙̤̗ͨͦ́̽̈́͌͒͗ͅT̵̵̸̸͔͍͎̺̪̤̟͔̤̪̝͈̲̄̆̐̋̓ͪͮ͒ͬͮ̄͐ͦ̇̾̚͞ͅ ̨͙̺͚̿̐͑ͣͧͦ̀͢F̶̛̫̻̼͎ͦ̃̒̀̎͂̽͂͊́A̐̆ͯͨ̈́͒̽͑ͨͩ͊ͮ̅ͧ̃ͣ͜͞͏̣̤̼̫̘̠̩͔͖Ǐ̏ͥ̿̽̉̎͌̔ͭ̐̆̽̂ͥ͗ͭ͋ͪ͏̸̶̧̱͖̪̱̰͖̼̙͜R̨͍͖̦̱͖̙̹͙̗̭̂ͯͣͪ̀ ̤̗̭̭̘̝̺̮̝̻͔̩͉̲̖͙̘͛ͣͦ̏̒͠͝ͅṄ̑̄̈̐͆ͣͭͮͧ̑̐̅̀͝͏̼̠͕̼̻̝̣̟͎̩̙̫̻͔̩̟̺͜Ŏ̸̥͍̱͓̰̤̖̠͚̼͙̩͙͛̋̍̽ͫ́͟͟͞T̵̡͎̜͓̺͔͚̝̥̀̓̈́̿ͦͯ̒ͣ̍͋̆̋̿ͧ̓̀͡͠ ̷̢̘̠͇͇̲͓͚̫ͤͦ̄͟F͖͕̬̙̙̈͗ͨͧ̌͞͠A̛ͨͣ̀̿̐͢͏̙̙̰̖̹̪͕͚̜̠̦̤̻͉̹̞̤Ĩ̮̩̲̯̻̼̝̦̮̤̟͖̩̔ͩ̅̔̅̔͗͑̿͐̈́̓͛͊̕̕R̨͋͒̈́̾̈̂ͯͣ̄̅̈́ͮ̾ͧ̚͘̕͢͏̹͈̟̪̹̫̰̮͙͈͔̗͓̝ͅ" Those below can't see the path out--they can't see the way back, through the winding corridors and confusing circuits and wires. Those above, though--they have the bird's eye view they always have. They can lead the characters back, and away from the formless, forming anomaly. Run.