[IC] In Tenebris - Always Open

[Red Wizard]

You open your eyes and gasp for air. There's something in your lungs, and you cough and retch to get it out. A cold, white liquid runs down your chin, but at last you can breathe. You can't remember anything; not where you are, or when, or... or WHO you are. You're trapped inside a small, confined space, like a coffin. The walls are a pristine white and slightly curved, like an oval, and the space is illuminated by an unknown source.

Feeling the panic rising, you put your hands on the surface above you, a mere foot from your face. It feels cold and plastic, or maybe metallic, you can't really tell. It doesn't yield, no matter how hard you try. Letters suddenly flash in front of you, a bright red against the spotless white.

ALERT.
MALFUNCTION DETECTED.
OXYGEN LEVELS CRITICAL.
ENGAGE MANUAL RELEASE.

You're in full panic now. Sweat breaks out all over your body, naked except for white synthetic underwear covering your pelvis. It's cold. You're trapped. Time is running out. You feel tears burning at the corners of your eyes. You're shaking all over. It can't end like this. You have to get out.

What do you do?

[Red Wizard]

Example

(Disclaimer: In this example, I use the pronoun He for my character. You may choose any pronoun you wish for yours.)

ACTIVATING

He starts to look around, his breathing coming fast in spite of the warning. There has to be something, anything, he can do to get out. He looks along the interior walls, searching for something that stands out from the white material - a handle, a switch, an opening, anything he can use or push or probe. (Action: Examine)

While he's looking, he starts to shout at the top of his lungs. "Hello?" he screams. "Is there anyone there? Please! I need help!". (Speak)

He tries to crawl around in the coffin, to get a better view of his surroundings. Maybe there's something at his feet, or under him. He squirms and thrashes, trying to move in any way. (Move)

@Red Wizard

[Mole]

ACTIVATING

Where am I?

She looked around the enclosement. Her breaths were happening more rapidly as each moment passed. She could not remember where she had been before, but here seemed unlikely.

How did I get here? (Action: Examine)

Her fingers trembled as they touched the coffin. Her touch became stronger, and she began pushing at the roof. As it became more evident that she appeared to be stuck, she began hitting the walls. (Action: Move)

Along with the ineffective hitting, she let out a whimper and began screaming for help… “For anyone! Someone! Please!” She was sorry for whatever she had done. Just let her out. There had to be some sort of mistake. (Action: Speak)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

@Mole

The dull thumps of her beating mingled with her desperate pleas in the close space of the coffin, but if anyone heard her, she couldn't tell.

She could not detect any seams or indentions in the surface of the coffin. It was a smooth, pristine white, too tough to dent or move. But then -

In the midst of her flailing, she found something above her head. It was a handle of sorts, or a lever - she wasn't sure.

What did she do next?

[Mole]

Her breathing quieted for a brief moment, as some sort of relief streamed through her fingertips. She attempted to pull and twist the handle or lever or whatever it was. (Action: Use)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

@Mole

(OOC: Your Action is technically Use, but no worries. We'll learn together!)

Pushing the handle yielded no success, but as she pulled it, the coffin hissed. Air rushed into the space as a narrow slit opened in the ceiling. The slit continued to open in a smooth motion, leaving her lying in an oval bed of sorts. She found herself in a domed room, dimly lit by a pulsing red light. There were two other coffins, or pods, joining hers at the foot end, still closed. At the head of each stood a locker in the same white material as the pods, and there was a closed circular door to her right with a dormant panel next to it.

What did she do next?

[Mole]

Sitting upwards in the coffin, she carefully looks around the room and then down at the pod — or coffin that she had thought to be trapped in. Swallowing, she took in several deep breaths before continuing to look around the room. There were two other coffins, and she thought of opening them but decided against it.

Slowly, she lifts herself out of the coffin. To her relief, her body was not too stiff, and moving her limbs was not terribly hard. With the same awareness, she studies at the locker, noticing the other coffins had them, as well. (Action: Move & Examine)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

@Mole

The pods are sealed and dormant. She can't see anything on, or hear anything from them.

She stumbles a bit, her legs buckling under the weight, but she eventually reaches the locker. It has a sign with the text "A037" on it.

What does she do next?

[Mole]

She reaches out a hand and tries to open the locker. (Action: Use)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

The locker has a handle on it. As she touches the handle, a small square in the middle of the locker door lights up with a green light for a moment before returning to the spotless white of the rest of the room. There's a soft hiss, and the locker door opens.

Inside is a white jumpsuit of a rubbery material. It has the letters "A037" stamped in black in small print on the left side of the chest. The jumpsuit has boot-like ends for the feet, with rigid soles in dome kind of metal.

There is nothing else in the locker. The red light continues to pulse in the room.

What does she do next?

@Mole

[Mole]

Through the pulsing red light, giving her a slight headache with all the animosity, she looks at the contents in the locker, and then down, at herself, to see if she is wearing anything, a thought that hadn’t occurred to her. (Action: Examine)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

She is naked except for white synthetic underwear covering her pelvis. The lights keep pulsing red in the background, as if to spite her. The room is silent, save for the quiet sound of her breath.

@Mole

[Mole]

Drawing in deep breaths, she tries to focus through the pushing lights and deadly silence. Her eyes unfocus as they study the contents in the locker, again.

Where am I?

No memories surfaced. There was a space in her thoughts when she tried to remember anything. The space lingered over her, like the ominous quietness in the room.

How did I get like this? Here…?

Again, the thoughts fell into some bleak unanswerable realm. She tried to quiet her breaths and keep the weakness of her legs from collapsing under her weight. She swallowed, and with a strict, firm determination, she grabs the outfit in the locker. (Action: Take)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

Add the item "Jumpsuit A037" to your characters Equipment.

The jumpsuit has a plastic, rubbery texture to it. It feels elastic, but durable. As it happens, it looks like it's just the right size for her. As she puts it on, she feels warm and slightly more secure. There's an unexplainable notion of familiarity about it, but she can't put her finger on why that is.

The red light continues pulsating. The domed room still contains two pods and their respective lockers, as well as the closed circular door with the dormant panel next to it.

What does she do next?

@Mole

[Mole]

She feels around the collar of her jumpsuit. The familiarity tries to fish for some memories of what was happening, but nothing came forward. Her mind continued to be a vast ocean of distant memories she wasn’t sure how to reach.

Her eyes looked around the room, again. Maybe she should try opening the other pods. There were probably people, like her inside of them. Her eyes canned the lockers for a moment before she moved towards the closest a pod and studies it’s outside. (Action: Move & Examine)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

The lockers have similar labels on them; A035 and A036. The pods seem dormant, but there is no way to tell. Their exteriors have no handles, levers or buttons, and there are no visible panels or screens connected to them. The plastic, or metallic, surface of the pods is cold and hard to the touch.

What does she do next?

@Mole

[Mole]

Her hand quickly withdraws from the cold touch of the pod.

There are people in there… She tells herself. It makes her feel uncomfortable knowing this for some reason. Perhaps, because they are lying dormant as she was — unaware just as she was. Although, a small thought occurs to her that they may have more pieces than she does, if only by chance.

She swallows nervously, trying to ignore the pulsing light. She closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath. Maybe these are people I once knew… If that were the case, she didn’t want to leave them.

With the exhale of her breath, she knocks on one of the pods and calls out, “Hello? Can you hear me?” Her voice is shaky, and she barely remembers that’s what she sounds like. (Actions: Speak & Use)

@Red Wizard

[Red Wizard]

The knocking makes a dull sound against the hard surface of the pod. There is no response or sign of activity from the inside. A thought occurs to her; what if whoever was in there woke when she did, but couldn't get out? The red light continues to pulse ominously in the background.

@Mole

[Mole]

The silence begins to feel deadlier, and the strobing light continues in its ominous manner. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest, attempting to synchronize its rhythm with the light.

In an attempt to calm herself, her hand rests in the pod and feels the cool touch of metal. She closes her eyes, wondering how she could help the people trapped inside these containers.

Her breaths try to slow, and her mouth opens for a more calming relief. Finally, she re-opens her eyes and studies the room once more.

The opening was on the inside…

Should she wait for moment, or…?

Her eyes looked towards the domed door. Maybe there are people outside the room, and they would be able to help.

Her hand slid from the coffin, and she turned to look at the locker next to it. She walks over to the locker and examines it, in hopes of being able to open it, as well. (Action: Walk & Examine)

@Red Wizard