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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 13:43:22 GMT -5
Looking out over from his vantage point on the bench, he could see the pond glistening from the afternoon sun's rays. Beautiful sea creatures, ranging from the smallest of fish to the larger creatures that inhabited the pond, appeared to be at ease, lazily swimming in their habitat without any thought, without any care of what was going on. In a sense, they reflected the whole attitude of Mount Pleasant: calm, peaceful, healing. That's what this place was.
And Hugo knew that it wasn't real.
Or at least that's what he thought he knew. He could smell it in the air, he could taste it in the food he had eaten over the past twenty four hours. Something was off and he knew it...but was he wrong? And even if he was right, would he honestly care? The crew was having a great time, being able to relax and help out all the survivors who have been imported here.
Survivors. They weren't survivors. They couldn't be! Of what? The so called "Second coming of the Third Reich"? Genocide could not be hidden that well in this galaxy. Or could it?
Lisa was happy. He knew that much. Hugo had seen her this morning playing with a few of the survivor's kids, laughing and looking like the eight year old that she really was. She loved it here.
But it was a dream.
Or was it?
Hugo was going to find out one way or another...
His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming from behind him. In downtown Los Angeles, he would have been reaching for his gun in fear of someone taking a hit out on him. He wasn't very popular back home amongst the criminal organizations.
But now the footsteps came right up alongside the bench. He looked up to glance at the intruder.
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 14:54:21 GMT -5
The gardens, a place of peace and solace, somewhere where one could come and just while away the hours thinking and enjoying the tranquil sound of the waterfall, the lovely scenery.
The problem was; it was all a farce. Or, at least, that was what Darcy had been able to deduce after a couple of days in this place. It had taken a little while for her to wrap her mind around everything that was wrong about this place and why - the place had messed with her head, desperately trying to suppress any memories or thoughts that led her to think that this place wasn't everything she thought it was.
Darcy's big realisation had come when she started remembering peoples' real names, not these numbers that they were given. But other people couldn't be convinced otherwise, to them this was normal, and they wanted it to stay that way. And, because Darcy wasn't sure exactly what this place was, she left them to it.
Taking a long walk through the gardens, she tried to clear her head. She felt like she should be doing something with herself, but this place really had nothing for her to do, and she was beginning to get just a little stir crazy. All her efforts would have to be directed on getting out of here, wherever this was.
She saw... Hugo, at least, that's what she'd heard he was called, sitting on a bench not to far away from the path she was walking along. She'd heard that he was a detective, which inferred a level of intelligence, and the definite ability to pick things apart, and sleuth. Maybe he knew something was up? Worth a chat at any rate.
Approaching the bench, he looked round at her suspiciously, like she was out to get him. "Hey," she said quickly, but calmly, holding up her hands slightly to show that she meant no harm, "you're Hugo, right?" If he answered yes, then she would finally have someone to sort out all her thoughts with, someone to talk to!
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 15:02:33 GMT -5
Hugo looked up to see the woman, watching her body language for any confirmation of his suspicions. She looked just as real as everyone else here...and yet, something was there that he couldn't put his finger on. Something intangible seemed to jump out at him, but what was it?!? His frustration did not show on his face however, instead opting to give out a small smile(his wife had told him that he had a "killer" smile, so he had decided to use it more often), answering the woman with:
"Who wants to know?" Obviously, he was being shifty, but it was for a purpose: he wanted to see if, like everyone else here, she was just looking for a conversation OR she wanted something else. He could read into her body language that she was relaxed, but there was also tension...he could smell it.
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 15:09:29 GMT -5
Well, that was a new one. No one had answered her like that before, not here anyway. They usually looked at her all doe-eyed and told her she was mistaken before drilling off their number code, or whatever it was. It was sad that they had been reduced to this, in so many ways.
Hugo, however, seemed to have his mind, and this pleased Darcy, more than it probably should have. "Darcy," she said, choosing to answer him straight out than beat around the bush. Walking round to the opposite side of him, she said, "is there something weird going on here, or is it just me?"
Also, she noted, no one smiled quite like that.
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 15:15:50 GMT -5
"Well whoever Darcy is, she's on the right track. I wouldn't say weird: I would say distorting. Someone or something is distorting this." He waved his right hand in a circular motion, indicating he was talking about the resort.
"You haven't been affected by whatever is going on here. I'm surprised. I didn't think anyone else had a brain here." He laughed slightly, knowing how condescending that sounded, but he knew there was truth to it.
"So Darcy, what's your story? Do you remember anything before Mount Pleasant?" There WAS something before Mount Pleasant and Hugo knew it! He needed to see if this woman remembered anything.
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 15:22:27 GMT -5
"Good to know," she said, immediately seating herself down on the bench. Good! Someone else did have it together. "Yes, yes, everything is completely distorted, it's too perfect..." It really was. Nothing ever went wrong, it felt like things should be going wrong all the time.
"I could say the same for you." His sentence may have been condescending, but it was true. "Everyone here, it feels like they should be something else, something a lot more than what they are right now. It's almost pathetic seeing them like this."
"I don't, or, at least, I can't get any straight facts down, other than peoples' names," she said, "I have random thoughts and feelings. Interests that suddenly pop out of nowhere. Urges to study and do things, but I can't while I'm here. How about you, anything you remember?"
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 15:29:23 GMT -5
So she didn't know specifics...but she was dealing with similar generalities. Memories, faces, names. They were all there, but she, like him, could not identify anything in real detail. Even his daughter didn't have a clue as to where they were...or should be. The sun began to take on a more orange hue, signaling that it was beginning to set. Hugo looked up past the waterfall that emptied into the pond below to see the main complex, towering above the planet. Almost seemed like...
"New Earth." He looked at Darcy with a questioning expression.
"New Earth....new earth..." The sight of the building had caused him to think about New Earth...
Ugap.
Alliance.
LISA!
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 15:36:23 GMT -5
Hugo seemed to be deep in thought, he question was completely lost on him. Then he said two words. 'New Earth'.
"Medical centre," she said automatically, not exactly sure where that had come from, "I think I used to work there, that place you just said. I helped people... with their injuries?" It sounded like it made sense, but she couldn't be entirely sure.
"Do you think that's where we are? That we're here for treatment?" No, that didn't make any sense, or more, it didn't feel right. She let out a frustrated, "gah," before shaking her head.
Looking back at him again, she tried to read his expression, it had completely changed. "Are you okay?"
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 15:47:36 GMT -5
"I..." He put his face in his hands for a moment, trying to recapture the now dying memories that were flaring up inside of his mind. With all of the discipline he could muster, he brought forth one...no, two memories into the light...or were they memories?
"I...I was a...police officer. No...no I wasn't. I was more than that. I solved..detec..detective...Yes." His voice was a bit shaky, but he was starting to remember nicknames: Wrecker, Killer Instinct. All names from his time in..., well he couldn't remember that just yet. But he knew that he had a good sense of justice and had more of a brain than most police officers had. So that probably put him in as detective.
"No...we're not here for treatment. I can tell you that much, sister. This whole place is a cesspool of amnesia. And for some reason, we got thrown into the bottom." The sun was now halfway gone, lights springing on in the main tower...and a small sliver of light could be seen on a cliff past the main tower. That light...
"What have they told you about the light? The survivors, anyone?" He pointed towards the sliver.
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 15:56:40 GMT -5
Okay, so, Darcy had already known that he was a detective, how she had remembered and he hadn't, she probably would never know, but now he remembered too. That was good, very good. Now if only she could remember more herself.
"I feel like I'm missing someone," she told him, "like there's someone close to me who isn't here, and I can't quite remember." Someone who she felt maternal, that was the word, instincts over. Another girl perhaps? But she didn't have children, not here anyway.
He pointed off into the distance, and she followed his arm, squinting. "I..." she blinked, "I've never noticed it before." She wasn't out here often when the sun went down. "Maybe we're not supposed to see it?" Like it was hidden from their field of vision. "It could be important," she said with a nod, looking back at him, "you think we can get there?" She'd almost got up onto her feet and gone as soon as he pointed.
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 16:04:33 GMT -5
"Trust me, we all feel that way. We're always missing someone or something." Hugo got up now, brushing imaginary dust off of his pants(a quirk) as he heard Darcy ask about getting there.
"That's something we can find out the simplest way possible: trying to get there." He looked at Darcy with another smile, continuing:
"There are no guards, no sentries, no machine droids, no anything in terms of security around here. You ever notice that? With survivors from an imagined holocaust, I would think they would need some kind of sizable security force in case of a strike from their so-called oppressors." He turned north, heading back onto the path that would take him back to the main tower.
"So...you coming?"
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 16:10:49 GMT -5
Hugo was right. That was another thing to add to the things that were completely wrong about this place. And yet, barely anyone noticed it. They needed to get this sorted.
Sharing his smile, she hopped up onto her feet. "It's not like I have anywhere else to be."
They set off at a reasonable pace, keeping the tower in their sights. It was a fair distance, but still, not too far. It looked like it was going to be easy to get to, but she had been wrong before. She wasn't perfect, no matter how much she strived to be - that much she knew.
"Have you recognised anybody here?" she asked as they walked along, managing to keep in stride with him despite the height difference. "Anyone in particular?"
They were coming up on a large plastic barrier, with no apparent door. They might have to change direction.
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 16:16:49 GMT -5
Hugo grimaced as he saw the plastic barrier, knowing that there would be some kind of restriction past the main tower. Thankfully no one had seen them strolling past the tower and they were out of the line of sight of most, but with this thing in front of them...then Hugo realized that Darcy had asked a question.
"I have recognized what I now know as my daughter, Lisa. She doesn't remember her own name though. Just a string of numbers. In fact, I'm not even sure if she is my daughter at times. But what in the world can we be sure of here anyway? They're all launching strings of numbers at us. That's the identity they have...we had." He tried kicking the barrier...no dice. Of course, what would any man do in this situation?
Kick harder.
Still nothing.
"You see any weakness in this thing?"
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Post by darcyneumann on Oct 10, 2010 16:26:30 GMT -5
Yes. Darcy had originally been D24, but right from the beginning, it hadn't felt right. Her brain had conjured up the other name, Darcy, the one that sounded like it fit. The name Casey had sprung to mind as well, but not for her, for someone else. Someone she would no doubt remember given time. Right now, she should concentrate on getting to the tower.
Raising an eyebrow, she watched him kick the barrier, to no avail. Then again. That made her shake her head.
Taking several steps back, she peered to the left then to the right. "Over here," she nodded, "I think I see something down at the far end." It would be taking them away from the tower, but if they could get through the wall, then they could head straight back in the opposite direction.
Leading the way, she came across a sort of... door in the plastic. But it was sealed shut, and she couldn't see any way of opening it. "Damn."
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Post by hugodouglass on Oct 10, 2010 16:33:25 GMT -5
Hugo looked at the door with a chuckle, making a clicking sound with his throat as he got down on one knee, inserting his left hand along the edge of the makeshift door, as if he were feeling for something. This felt so natural for him, probably because he had done this kind of thing in his line of work. He was looking for something, a switch, anything that could be hidden.
"Come on baby, I know you want to get loos.." His hand went over a slight bump in the material, a smile crossing his face as he slammed his left hand down onto the bump. The door slid open. What greeted them was a large expanse of grassland that sloped upwards. At the top of the slope was another plastic barrier that was visible from here. That barrier was the only thing that blocked them off from where the light was coming from.
Then he noticed the tower.
It was a smaller tower than the main complex, but it was still intimidating, still foreboding. A slight chill descended down his spine as he looked from the tower to the slope, which he realized did not have any trees...
No cover.
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