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vivalas-vega · 2 months ago

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fine line / part six

these chapters are so short I decided to give you both right now - everything aches right now but there is a moment to breathe coming soon!!! I'm currently working on part eight, chapters are gonna get a little longer from here so don't expect these super frequent drops of multiple chapters lol - it'll eventually taper into one/two a week (maybe) as always please let me know what you think, comments and reblogs make my day!

fine line / mcu x reader / part six

part one / part two / part three / part four / part five

summary: Three kids from Brooklyn. A war that asks too much. And a woman with secrets stitched into every seam.

to be tagged in future works, please turn on post notifications for @vegaslibrary

word count: 1.1k

warnings: (not specific to this part, but for the series as a whole. this fic is 18+, you are responsible for your own media consumption). language, angst, drinking, smut, violence, references (and descriptions) of bucky's abuse within hydra, canon-typical situations - this is the mcu y'all, shit will get a little crazy, and a little devastating

part six: the passage of ice

No one ever told you what year it was. Sometimes not even the month. Time wasn’t measured in numbers anymore; it was measured in bruises, mission briefings, the distance between stasis and violence. Names, places, years… they didn’t matter. Not for you. You were told what to do, and when, and nothing more. That was the point. A weapon didn’t need to know where it was forged, only where it was aimed.

Your first freeze came after a mission in the mountains. You’d bled through three layers of clothing and killed six men with a broken blade. You didn’t remember what for. Only the snow, and the sharp, dragging pain in your thigh. The room they dragged you back to was sterile and buzzing, the lights too white. The technician didn’t even look at you as he pressed something sharp into your arm.

You still had blood under your nails when the cold took you. Not like the kind you used to carry beneath your ribs—this was older. Sadder. It was chemical, clinical. The kind of cold designed not to numb, but to erase.

You woke up screaming. You always did, at first. The scream wasn’t even fear. It was instinct, raw and animal. Your body’s last defense, like it was trying to shake loose the ice still clinging to your spine. But over time, even that was taken from you.

Eventually, you stopped waking up at all.

The cold reached deeper the next time. It knew where to find you.

There were missions, some you remember, most you didn’t. A ballroom in Berlin. The glint of a blade tucked beneath your sleeve. The sound of a voice calling you by an alias—not your name. You didn’t have one of those anymore. Just a codename. Something something that fit inside a file folder. Something handed to you, not chosen.

You remembered rain on cobblestone, blood soaking through silk. The look in a man’s eyes just before you silenced him. Not recognition of you, but of death. That was all you ever were: a signal that the end had come.

They trained it into you, how to vanish in plain sight. How to shift your weight without sound. How to kill with your hands, your knees, the heel of a boot. How to move like smoke and leave nothing behind but the aftermath.

They told you when to eat. When to sleep. When to breathe.

Once, a mission didn’t go quite to plan. You had your target cornered in the gilded hallway of some Eastern embassy, your knife already raised. The order was clear: eliminate. But something in the set of his mouth, the slope of his shoulders, made your grip falter. Just a fraction of a second. A flicker of… something. Not memory. Not yet. Just familiarity. It didn’t last. But it was long enough. They punished hesitation.

So they froze you again.

When you weren’t being used, you were stored. Like a weapon on a shelf, boxed and labeled in code. Sometimes you thought you dreamed in there, in the dark behind your eyes. You thought you saw flickers. A red scarf twisting in the wind. The smell of coffee. A laugh, warm and easy, yours maybe, or someone else’s. A high, reedy cry in the distance. A hallway. A door. The sound of heels retreating.

Then you’d wake—strapped to a slab, the taste of metal and blood thick on your tongue. Restraints tight around your wrists like they expected you to snap.

You were always restrained. Always treated like a bomb, seconds from detonation.

They reprogrammed you between missions. When you looked too long at your reflection. When you moved too slowly. When your hands shook after you killed. When your eyes lingered on someone’s face just a little too long. Even a question was enough.

Even silence, if it was the wrong kind.

So they broke you again. And again. Until every kind of silence sounded right.

You learned ten languages and forgot them all.

You learned to laugh at the right time in cocktail conversations. How to sip a drink and blend in. How to tear out someone’s throat with your teeth if the blade failed. You learned how to memorize blueprints in thirty seconds flat. How to seduce. How to disappear.

You learned the limits of the human body—and then learned you no longer had any.

You ran missions on four continents. They said it was a year. Maybe it was five. Maybe it was ten. Maybe it was always the same one.

A man once screamed your name—his voice high and cracked with panic—but you didn’t recognize it. Was it your name? One they gave you? Or one they’d forgotten? Maybe he hadn’t said anything at all.

One handler liked to leave you books. Said it made you easier to manage. You never read them. Not really. But you liked the weight of them in your hands. The feel of paper, the soft sound it made when it turned. You liked that the words stayed where they were, even if you didn’t.

Once, you opened a collection of Russian poetry and stared at a single line until the letters blurred:

Ты была не ты.

You were not you.

You shut the book. You didn’t open another.

The last time they thawed you, your body was covered in scars you didn’t remember earning.

Some were old—faded into the into your skin, only noticeable if you were looking. You rarely did. Others were still angry and red, raised like fresh warnings. One technician frowned at your file, muttering something about tissue mismatch. The numbers didn’t line up. You wondered which version of you he expected. Which scan. Which ghost.

You didn’t ask.

You didn’t speak at all.

They gave you a target.

And you moved.

You were quiet now. Efficient. Beautiful and brutal in the way all perfected things were. You were a legend whispered in corridors. Caution scrawled in margins. You were someone else’s worst nightmare.

But somewhere—buried deep in the part of you the machines couldn’t reach—there was still a hum.

A heartbeat. Familiar. Just beneath your ear.

You didn’t know where it came from, or who it belonged to. Often, it was drowned out by something else… a sound behind the wall. A woman crying. Distant and quiet, like she knew no one was listening. You never saw her. Never asked. But in the haze of thawing fluid and metal restraints, sometimes it sounded like she was calling for something small.

And later—when the cold came back, and the world slipped sideways again—you swore you dreamed of chickens.

You didn’t know why.

prev / next

#james bucky barnes #james bucky barnes x reader #james bucky barnes x you #james buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes x you #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky #bucky x reader #bucky x you #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #mcu fanfiction #mcu x reader #mcu x you

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drujiko · 9 months ago

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✨// A majority of what I post will be canon compliant, but I'll be filling in some information with my own headcanons. Admin is an adult!

𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

For a majority of my rules, please see the list posted by @marbled-magician! If you're wanting to interact with the doctor, I ask that you read over these and the ones I have added below.

While Ujiko is a controversial character within the show, the admin does not condone or approve of his actions. Harassments or death threats will not be tolerated and will result in a block.

This blog will, for the most part, be pg-13. References to Nomus, Nomu creations, death, etc. will be used. Canon back stories such as Tomura Shigaraki's and All For One's will be referenced. This account is not spoiler free.

He'll be interacting with villains, ocs, and heroes. However, his responses will be in character! So he may be uninterested, mean, or backhanded depending on what has been said. If you want to plot something out, message me!

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝘁

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀/𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁

AFO- @demon-lord-afo

Shigaraki- @dusty-handyman

Dabi- @crematioria

Spinner- @the-one-who-spins

Toga- @little-sis-toga

Magne- @magnetic-magne

Twice- @duality-in-spandex

Giran- @brokenbroker

Muscular- @the-crimson-killer

Mustard- @must4rdmha

Compress - @marbled-magician

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗶

Kai Chisaki (Overhaul) - @kaichisaki-rp

Hari Kurono (Chronostasis) - @kurono-stasis

Shin Nemoto - @shinnemoto-rp

𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘆

Trumpet- @inciting-trumpet

Skeptic- @skepticbehindthescreen

Curious- @yourcur1ousrep0rt3r

Geten- @geten-iceman

Re-Destro-

𝗣𝗿𝗼-𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀

Blazehounds- @blaze-hounds

Endeavor- @number-1-hero-endeavour

Hawks- @number-2-hero-hawks

Burnin’- @burnin-in-style

Cider- @cider-house

Kamui- @kamui-from-the-woods

Inasa- @inasa-the-gale

Ryukyu- @ryukyu-the-dragon

Death Arms- @death-arms

Mt. Lady- @mt-lady-the-heroine

Vigilantes

Stain - @stainherokiller-rp

𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Getaway (OC)- @just-getaway

Yumiko (OC)- @frost-bitten-fingers

Static (OC)- @static-volt

Morrigan Taggart (OC)- @nightshcderp

Nightcore (OC)- @nighty-nightcore-rp

Shinsei (OC)- @codename-firedancer-rp

#mha rp #bnha rp #Daruma Ujiko #Ujiko Daruma #my hero academia #boko no hero academia #league of villains #lov

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lynxindisguise · 5 months ago

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hey, lynx!!! i’m obsessed with everywhere, everything and i wanted to ask a favor, could you maybe sum up what is going on in the original universe that we know so far?

i feel like i’m so excited with each new world that i forget to keep track of plot lol

awwww hello anon, thank you!! I will try my best! the question is can *I* remember what’s happened?

putting this all below the cut bc spoilers:

okay so pre ee:

riddle was a charming hogwarts university professor (he taught experimental physics) and developed a bit of a cult of personality. he desperately wanted sirius as a mentee but ended up with regulus instead.

regulus dies mysteriously, and the course is shut down.

at some point during all this, mwpp secretly develop a map that lets them directly travel to universes (rather than jumping, which is random, or using portkeys, which are predesignated portals that follow specific routes set up by the ministry). they can also track each other's locations on the map and have specific codenames to help them do this. the map only shows a certain number of universes within a certain range.

remus writes his thesis on loops—patterns that recur over and over again throughout the multiverse—earning himself the nickname 'loopy lupin'

riddle goes after james because he wants that universe's version of the invisibility cloak (a cloak knit from the fabric of reality)

james and lily use the cloak to create a pocket universe to hide in. only someone with the map could've found them.

peter gives voldy their location, and he goes after them. the cloak gets destroyed and all three perish in The Nothing (the space between universes where only void creatures like dimensiors can travel).

peter fakes his death and flees into the multiverse. but before doing so, he cuts off the finger that has his version of the multiversal travel rune and stores it on ice somewhere so that he won't lose the ability to jump.

sirius secretly changes his codename on the map to "whack a worm" and spends years hunting him down while remus thinks he's simply spending time with the other versions of james and lily.

sirius eventually corners peter in universe 404, planning to cut off that peter's finger so he can no longer travel. but it's a trap, and peter explodes the entire universe, fuelling a jump far beyond the map's reach.

with peter thought to be dead, everyone assumes sirius exploded universe 404.

before he's caught, sirius tells remus what happened and puts his body into stasis before jumping. *remus then turns sirius in to make it look like he's trustworthy, and his body now sits in stasis in azkaban.

sirius spends 2 years universe hopping while remus uses the map to track both him and the dimensiors hunting him (with the intent to devour his consciousness).

during this time, kingsley gets a job as an unspeakable (basically a multiversal spy), and he's put in charge of the sirius black task force, which he is constantly sabotaging.

*I'm not sure if I've stated this in the fic yet.

during ee:

kingsley reveals to remus that fudge has grown tired of sirius's strange ability to evade the dimensiors and wants to send unspeakables directly after him. kingsley sabotages this effort.

when this effort fails, fudge discusses a ripple (a controversial measure in which an agent is sent in to murder the wanted criminal in designated 'keystone' universes on the basis of the theory this event will induce a 'ripple effect' and the criminal will begin to die off in all surrounding universes)

kingsley and remus manage to link the map's range to sirius, meaning that if he jumps further than the map's current range, it will expand to account for that. they successfully expand the map but still have not managed to expand it far enough to locate peter.

sirius discovers the stones, which they begin to suspect are pieces of riddle's consciousness that must be destroyed. destroying them will create the amount of energy necessary to power an extremely long jump. but it's not just power they'll need to locate peter. it's also luck.

through all of this, remus is teaching maths at hogwarts university, and he begrudgingly takes on percy weasley as a mentee.

sirius collects 4 of the stones, then has to leave behind one of the stones in the atla universe. remus agrees to have mcg collect it for them once they know how to destroy them.

kingsley tries to expose fudge's plan for a ripple and gets fired and stripped of all access to info, portkeys, etc. but he does know which universes they'd be most likely to strike, and he and remus begin keeping an eye on those universes.

someone (currently unknown) carries out the first successful hit in universe 2,913.

percy helps remus solve the formula for destroying the stones.

it is currently june of 1996. not that that matters at all...

and I think that's everything???

#ask the lynx #everywhere everything #did not realise how much lore there was until I wrote it all down lmao

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music--and--marvel · 23 days ago

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How old is Bucky when he meets Steve again (in the comics)?

And how old is Steve?

March 1945 (birthday established in CA V5 #50) - Bucky turns 20

Sometime in April 1945 - Cap and Bucky and the plane. Bucky fell into the English Channel.

5 May 1945 - found by the Soviets

7 May 1945 - revived

21 May 1945 - after extensive tests, no super soldier serum was found so he was put in cryostasis

June 1954 - the arm was created and the Winter Soldier Project began and Bucky was revived and trained - still 20 years old

5 November 1954 - first field test

7 June 1957 - 23 years old.

“In the three years since he was awakened from stasis, it appears his mind is seeking to fill in the holes in his memory, or possibly rebelling against the implanted programming he received originally. … It is therefore our recommendation that Codename: Winter Soldier be kept in stasis between missions, and that he undergo Mental Implantation at every awakening. We believe this will correct his instability issues, so he can continue to be of use to Department X” - Captain America Vol 5 #11

In “present day” (we love a sliding timescale - also Vol 5 was released 20 years ago) Fury has a meeting with Steve and Sharon and are showing him surveillance photos of the Winter Soldier. He says:

“THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE, TOO, THAT OUR 21ST CENTURY SOFTWARE IS ABLE TO TELL US... BETWEEN 1955 AND 1976 IT'S ESTIMATED OUR HITTER ONLY AGED APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS.” - CA V5 #8

and

“NO ONE EVER REALLY BELIEVED HE EXISTED. BUT I DO, BECAUSE I'VE GOT THIS PICTURE FROM LAST WEEK AT DULLES INTERNATIONAL... HERE HE IS AGAIN, ABOUT THREE YEARS OLDER THAN HE WAS IN 76...” - CA V5 #8

CA Vol 5 #6 established that the photo at Dulles International airport is in Nov 2004 so in those issues that’s the latest date

If he aged five years between 1955 and 1976, then subtract two as he aged normally from 1954-1957.

So he aged three years between 1957 and 1976 then three again between 1976 and 2004.

So if Fury’s tech is correct: Bucky is about 29 years old when he and Steve meet again in present day.

Side Note: how old is Steve when they meet again?

“AND YOU THINK THIS LUKIN GUY IS OUT FOR REVENGE ON YOU FROM BACK WHEN HE WAS A KID? YET HE WAITS OVER TEN YEARS AFTER YOU COME OUT OF THE ICE TO MAKE A MOVE?” - Captain America Vol 5 #13

Steve is four years older than Bucky. This places his birthday in July 1921. (However, I’ve also read that many comics place his birth year at 1922.) For continuity let’s say he’s born in 1921.

“YEAH, THE KID... WHO'S FOUR WHOLE YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU, ROGERS.” - Captain America Vol 5 #12

He’s frozen the same time Bucky is in April 1945. This makes him almost 24 when he falls into the Channel and freezes.

From Sam’s quote in Issue 13 this would make Steve in his mid-late 30s. Probably later as Sam says “over ten years.”

Steve is eternally older than Bucky I guess.

#bucky barnes #marvel #marvel comics #ed brubaker #steve rogers #captain america

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callalillywrites · 2 months ago

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Cat Pierce

A Character Introduction for The GODDESS Project

*Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) is our face claim for Cat here. Can't say much about similarities in personality as I haven't seen True Blood.

About Her

Daughter of Alexander Pierce.

Soulmate is Natasha Romanov.

Unlike Leila and Becca, Cat wasn't kidnapped by Hydra since Daddy was part of the organization. No, she was forced into their GODDESS Project and given some of Chrissy's blood.

Like the others, Chrissy's blood works and gives her special powers.

Codename given to her is Nyx.

She's quickly restrained and put into cryo-stasis because she used her powers against the first few unlucky Hydra agents that dared to go near her.

Her magic enables her to put enemies to sleep, into a coma, and even death if she so chooses. It really depends on the control of her emotions at the time. She's not always the best at controlling her emotions or her powers which makes her the most loose cannon of the group.

Hates everything Hydra stands for and is willing to bring them down alongside her best friend, Kendra, and the other goddesses.

Shapeshifts mainly into a black cat.

Magic glows like smoky black shadow.

To learn more about this AU and/or other stories I have, please check out:

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

#original female character #the goddess project #character introduction #mcu rewrite #mcu fanfiction #soulmate au

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mmxstrangers · 3 months ago

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✏️ Serta with the blood plushie please ;3;

He’s amused and delighted by the thing. XD

( Still doing these! )

#codename: stasis #mun art #as-above-rp #as above rp

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hardcore-direwolf · 5 months ago

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I love cards like these above the paragraph, it led to the whole concept of using an elemental compass and put some color on it.

We got the Red Sun for Kryptonians of Krypton, the Blue Moon for Amazonians of Amazonia, the Yellow Star for the Osmosians of Osmosia, and the Green Comet for Tamaraneans of Tamaran.

Their weaknesses are Kryptonite, Radion, Chromium, and Pathorica.

Like in every story I made, I'm bringing out the compass and using classical elements to help pinpoint the locations.

We got Project Kr at south in the red area clothed in a white solar suit, Project Os at east in the yellow zone geared in a black stellar suit, Project Tm at north in the green room dressed in a white nebular suit, and Project Az at west in the blue wing armored in a black lunar suit.

Did you find out the symbols meaning?

Yep, they're representing the planets and I'm using different kinds of logos to make them stand out.

Kr is Krypton, Os is Osmosia, Tm is Tamaran, and Az is Amazonia.

If you played Arkhamverse games that have the late voice-acting legend Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne aka Batman, this part is about encryption and using the codenames to unlock the stasis pods.

Red Sun, Yellow Star, Green Comet, and Blue Moon are the passwords to shut down that amnesiac spell our protagonists got trapped at Cadmus by attaining those needed clues at the center where the main express elevator resides in order to free them.

Dick, Wally, Conner, and Kaldur have fought Blockbuster...that makes it one fight, how about three more fights?

Eva, Artemis, M'gann, and Drew going against Armageddon (JL - Unlimited: The Birds Of Prey Vs Wonder Woman).

Garfield, Freddie, Matt & Victor Versus Heretic (TMNT - 2012 Series: Ninja Turtles Vs Saki Oroku | Lord Shredder).

Rachel, Zatanna, Raquel & Kory fighting Genocide (Batman/Superman - Apocalypse: The Female Furies Vs Treasure).

What do you guys think? Comment and reply anytime you want.

#young justice #dc comics #teen titans #matt blackwell #kory anderson #drew prince #ocs #blue moon #red sun #yellow star #green comet #conner kent

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mettamorph · 9 months ago

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C-24; Chimera (Chrysalid) Virus

As of the year 2020, C-Virus had been thought to be wiped from the face of the planet. C disappeared from black market trading, the unpredictability and unyielding nature of it making it a product that no one wanted to take a risk on. The vaccine's success was tepid, developers fearing the very real threat that the virus would mutate around the temporary setback.

On November 12th, 2020, the B.O.W., codenamed CHARIOT was brought down by "Shen Ya Pharmaceuticals" in conjunction with the mercenaries of The Guild and federally connected agents of the US. The conjoined effort was extremely quiet, and took place in the small town of Lune Bay, Oregon. Upon the beaching of the massive cetation B.O.W., the group of mercenaries hired to exterminate the beast entered its gut, finding the internal organs of the beast had been twisted to accommodate a still living C-Virus infection.

Inside CHARIOT, they found the remains of doomsday B.O.W. HAOS, creation of the late Carla Radames, as well as a black cocoon buried in the absorbed victims of Chariot. From that chrysalid revived Carla Radames, and with her, the newer iteration of the "C-Virus".

The "Chimera" virus, or C-24, had been mutating in stasis for 7 years inside CHARIOT. A combination of HAOS's remains and Carla's own presence twisted the product into something virtually unrecognizable to modern C-Vaccines.

C-24 produces faster zombies, and tougher J'avo at a higher rate. It is much more infectious, and prone to produce Perfect Mutations with expansive variety. Characterized by the "Black Tears" the virus causes in its hosts, the virus has a very high regeneration rate, and a propensity towards boiling blood and fire.

#hc #infection notes

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codenamestasis · 11 months ago

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“Our Turn,” aka issue #15 is LIVE! Two sides of the same coin, they’re friends, they’re enemies.. but they have the same goal; guide the Voidwatcher and the Lightkeeper to their fate.. if they get lucky.

#creative writing #urban fantasy #san diego #zine #writer #story #storyteller #urban fiction #codenamestasis #two sides of the same coin #fate #luck

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sdpubliclibrary · 24 days ago

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Codename: Stasis

Book #2: Chapter 1

#sdpl #zines #art #writing #urban fantasy #romance #A.E. Amor + A.C. Dnor #chiboozyl #san diego

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venturetranscripts · 6 months ago

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Banquo Orbit 5K

"Banquo Orbit 5K" is the first mission of Wreck Runner.

Welcome to Solfleet! A routine salvage mission to a debris field reveals more than you bargained for and threatens to turn deadly.

Cast

Duffy - Christina Greatrex

Eats - Sarah Griffin

Peter Cassidy - Philip Nightingale

Control - Julianna Kurokawa

Drone - Beth Eyre

Wreck - You!

Crew

Writers - Alasdair Stuart and Mur Lafferty

Director - Matt Wieteska

Sound Designer - Mark Pittam

Plot

Race You!

Duffy welcomes you to the team, and apologises that you're being immediately thrown into a mission. Eats will partner with you for this, and tells you that you're checking out a shuttle trapped in debris. Recover any survivors, and salvage anything useful. Better get going!

Follow Those Drones!

Eats wonder what such an old shuttle was doing this deep in the Boneyard. You enter through a hole in the hull. Eats doesn't register any survivors, but it looks like life support is still working on the other side of the airlock. Time to get to work.

Circuit

The shuttle is huge, but Duffy says that it apparently had only had a skeleton crew of three people. Duffy seems to be hiding something from you, and tells you to just bring the crew home. The drones sense a life sign and it seems agitated. You head through the next door and find the room trashed. There's a man standing outside an occupied stasis pod. Duffy tells you that's Peter Cassidy. Cassidy says that he won't go back, and then comes after you with a knife.

Debris Ring

You lose Cassidy and hide in the ship's kitchen where you are confronted by Kurokawa, the ship's Control. They tell you that Cassidy had lost it a week ago, and the struggle caused the ship to crash. A drone notifies you that one life-sign has left the ship. Control says it's probably Cassidy trying to steal your shuttle. You can run through the ring of debris to try to catch him.

Short Cut

Duffy needs you to do one more thing; Cassidy has something that you need to recover, and you can't let it fall into the wrong hands. Control has a short-cut in mind for you.

Emergency Action

If you jump from the hull, inertia will carry you straight to the shuttle, and you should be able to beat Cassidy there. Eats is uncertain because of the lack of a tether, but Control insists that it's the only way. You release you mag-boots, and manage to make it across open space to the shuttle, just in time to catch Cassidy. You try to get the data off him, but he jumps into space rather than give it up. And worse news! Eats missed the landing.

Swarm

Eats is still out of reach and your suit is going to run out of air soon. Duffy suggests turning back so you don't lose two crew members. Thinking quickly, you separate one of the drones from the swarm and throw it to Eats. The drone manages to drag Eats back towards you when it tries to return to the others. Duffy worries about the efficacy of the drone swarm, but they seem to have taken a liking to Eats. You'd better get back to the shuttle quickly though.

New Family

You make it back to the shuttle and close the airlock. You can remove your space suit. Control is welcomed to the team, and says that she has a copy of the data that Cassidy took. Eats demands to know why she didn't say that earlier, and Control explains that Cassidy was listening in and they couldn't risk him sending the data to anyone else. Eats demands answers considering you're all going to be working together. Control shows you some of the documents, much of which is redacted. It seems to be about a ship called the Minerva, which vanished in a possible first contact situation.

Transcript

Race You!

(Ongoing ambient sounds of a space shuttle)

Duffy: Codename Wreck. I'm glad you were able to join our team on such short notice. We're sorry to throw you into your first mission so quickly, but this is extremely time sensitive. Dock with the other shuttle and rendezvous with your team for briefing. Welcome to the runners, Wreck.

(Door opens)

Eats: Wreck! About time, we were about to go on without you.

Drones: Untrue! No human embarks on a mission alone!

Eats: You drones ruin everything.

Drones: Untrue! A mission is impossible without us!

Eats: God, you're annoying! Anyway, hey Wreck! Seems we're gonna check out a shuttle caught up in a stretch of hot debris. Gonna be around 5 kilometres to do the whole run.

It's just you and me, you know. Mission's not important enough for Circuit or Control.

Duffy: We haven't hired a Control for the team yet, and Circuit is still recovering from Martian flu. For now, the drones will brief you.

Drones: You'll go recover survivors and salvage from derelict Shuttle, Diana, currently moored in the ring of debris orbiting the South Pole.

Eats: A. K. A. the Boneyard, right? And these floating cricket balls come with us! Let's go, Wreck! Hey, race ya!

Follow Those Drones!

Drones: You have travelled one kilometre.

Eats: Look at that, Wreck! That's an early Zeus shuttle. Still space worthy. Well, not so much now. What was she doing so deep in the boneyard?

Duffy: The only question you need is, can you find survivors and salvage?

Eats: I suggest we enter through that burning hole in the hull. You go first, Wreck.

Uh, sorry you missed the Meet Your Crew And Get Drunk party. In short, my story is, I'm a runner because I'm a terrible shot. But I can cook, and I keep a mean inventory spreadsheet. So, I'm your Eats runner …

(The sound of burning)

And we're in! I'm seeing no survivors, Duffy.

Duffy: That's not surprising, Eats, since you're in the burning cargo bay.

Eats: I guess we keep moving.

Hey Dronie, can you unlock this door?

Drones: Ooo! Whee!

(Drones open the door – presumably with laser and little robot hands)

Eats: Brilliant. Looks like life support is working on the other side of this airlock.

(The airlock opens)

We are into the ship's living area now. This hallway has lights and gravity.

(Eats and Wreck land on the ground. Eats takes off her helmet. She is much clearer to hear now)

Phew. Which way are the quarters?

Duffy: The drones have a map of the old Zeus style shuttles.

Time to run, Wreck. Follow those drones!

Circuit

Drones: You have travelled two kilometres!

Eats: This Zeus shuttle is huge!

Duffy: Early Zeus class shuttles were the largest in the fleet.

Eats: Do you have a plan of how we're to bring a huge shuttle crew home in our little shuttle?

Duffy: Intel says the Diana crashed because it had a skeleton crew … three crew members.

Eats: I'm feeling like there's something you're not telling us.

Duffy: Just … bring them home.

Drones: Sensors indicate one life signature inside. Copy [sic?] is agitated.

Eats: Agitated? Wait a second!

Drones: Open!

Eats: Whoa! Shouldn't we come up with a plan or something?

(The airlock opens despite Eats’ protests.)

Duffy: Who's inside?

Eats: This place is trashed! Equipment smashed. Glass all over the floor! I think that's blood on the walls. Two people, one in a stasis pod. The guy outside is … tall? White guy, white hair, about 60.

Duffy: That is Peter Cassidy. This crew's Circuit.

Eats: Mr. Cassidy, I'm Eats, and this here's Wreck, and I'm sure that's not blood on the walls, right?

Cassidy: Uh ... No! I won't go back! You can't take me back!

Eats: He doesn't look happy to see us and he's got a knife! Oh God. Run Wreck!

Debris Ring

Drones: You have run 2. 5 kilometres.

Duffy: Runners, report.

Eats: We ended up in the kitchen. Crazy guy stopped chasing us. We have to get out of here!

Duffy: Not until you confirm the whereabouts of the third crew member.

Control: Psst. Over here.

Eats: Gah! You Diana crew just like scaring people, don't you?

Control: No, no, I need a lift. I'm Kurokawa, but you can call me Control.

Duffy: Oh, I was hoping you'd find Kurokawa. Are they alright? Get them an encounter suit so we can communicate.

Eats: Yeah, they're okay. I'm Eats, this is Wreck, and Duffy's yelling in my ear to report how you're doing?

Control: I'm alright. Just a bit of a stab wound. Cassidy lost it about a week ago. We were at the shuttle in the fight. Kept talking about his 'mission'.

Eats: Duff, Control says 'alright' and 'stab' in the same sentence.

Drones: Alert! One life form has exited the ship!

Control: Cassidy's probably off to steal your shuttle and abandon us all here to die. That's just like him.

Eats: We still need to get you a suit! There's no way we'll catch him!

Control: We can run through the ring of debris. Won't be easy, but we don't have a choice.

Run!

Short Cut

Drones: You have run three kilometres!

Control: Hey, Duffy, I'm good to go.

Duffy: Good to have you Control. Runners, you need to do one more thing.

Eats: What's more important than beating a psychopath back to our shuttle?

Duffy: There's something in that shuttle Cassidy didn't want us to have. We can't let it fall into the wrong hands.

Eats: Not only no, but Hell no.

I'm getting out of here and back to Earth and then … I'm gonna become a chemist! Chemists don't get stabbed!

Duffy: Wreck? I'm cutting communication with Eats.

Control, did you get the data we were looking for?

Control: I didn't get it, but it's something Cassidy would have taken.

Duffy: Why? Who … is he working with?

Control: He wouldn't tell me.

Duffy: You must stop him from getting it into the hands of anyone other than us.

Eats: Hey, are you talking to Duffy without me?

Control: She wanted to talk to us while you were busy planning your new career. We need to get going. I have a shortcut in mind. Let's run.

Emergency Action

(A door opens, we hear the creak of the wreck and debris. Everyone’s helmets are back on)

Drones: You have travelled four kilometres!

Control: This debris forms a ring. If we jump from this hull, inertia will carry us in a straight line to the shuttle, beating Cassidy.

Eats: Across open space without a tether?

Control: It's the only way. Grab onto something to stop your fall. Duff, we still have a chance. Cassidy's had to slow down.

Eats: I don't see -- Oh, wait, there he is. Wow, he's got terrible running form.

Duffy: Focus, Eats. You're trained for this. Disconnect your magnetic boots. Jump, and you should reattach to debris on the other side.

Eats: (groaning with apprehension and discomfort) When did 'should' get so scary?

Control: Come on, we have to go now.

Eats: Go ahead, Wreck.

(Wreck disconnects their magnetic boots, takes the leap, and lands with a thump.)

Hey, you made it!

Control: Let's move! Cassidy is coming around that old rocket shell.

(Wreck – and maybe Control – detain Cassidy, keeping him from going further)

Cassidy: Get off me!

Control: Cassidy, we're taking you back to Earth. SolFleet has some choice things to say to you.

Cassidy: Someone has to turn SolFleet over and reveal the worms wriggling underneath.

Control: That's poetic … and gross. Wreck! Get the data! Rip the suit if you have to!

No! Cass - Cassidy! Don't!

Cassidy: Give my regards to Duffy. Be seeing you!

Control: Duffy. He's jumped into space and the data's with him.

Eats: Hey team! Team! Help! I missed the landing!

Duffy: Runners! Emergency action! Now!

Swarm

Control: Eats is still just out of reach. We've followed them for half a kilometre. We can't keep up.

Duffy: You have to turn back. Wreck's suit is going to run out of air soon. We can't lose another team member.

Eats: Oh God. No! Don't let me suffocate out here, Wreck! Please!

Drones: [sic] This is highly embarrassing! The swarm hasn't -- Whoa!

Control: Hang on, Wreck. You're not supposed to separate the drones. Oh. I see. Eats, heads up!

Eats: Why'd you throw me a drone? What's a freakin’ cricket ball gonna --

Drones: Gotta get back. Gotta get back. Be the Swarm, swarm, swarm!

(The Drone continues in the fashion until it is reunited with it’s pair, heard in the background saying things of this nature.)

Control: Hang on, Eats!

Duffy: Don't separate the drones.

Drones: Gotta get back. Gotta get back.

Duffy: They could act unpredictably.

Control: The drone is returning to the swarm and is pulling Eats back.

Drones: Gotta get back. Swarm, swarm, swarm!

Swarm, swarm, swarm! Ooo! Whee!!

Eats: You saved my life, little buddy! Quick thinking, Wreck! I didn't know these things could drag a human!

Duffy: I'm glad you're safe. But I'm worried about the efficacy of the swarm now.

Eats: Aw, they seem alright. Except they're swarming around me now. Oh, how cute! They think I'm their mama!

Duffy: This debriefing is gonna be a nightmare.

Just run back to the shuttle quickly.

New Family

Drones: We have run our maximum of 5 kilometres! Our air will run out shortly.

Eats: Made it! We're at the airlock, Duff.

Duffy: Good work. Get inside. Take off your suits and cool down.

(The team does just that)

Eats: You know, untethered spacewalks weren't in the job description. I thought we'd see new places, meet new people!

Duffy: You just did both of those things. Plus you got a new drone family. I'm gonna have to ask Circuit about how this happened. Control, have you seen any sign of Cassidy?

Control: Long gone, I'm afraid. Let's get autopilot going.

Wreck, check life support in the engines. Eats, make sure the crew have water.

Eats: Wait a second, who died and made you boss?

Duffy: Her call sign is Control, Eats. She's part of the team now.

Eats: Finally! Another crew member! Welcome to the Athena, Control. We can have a drink and swap stories when we get back to Earth. I guess you two know each other from Duffy sending you on a super secret job that she decided not to tell us about, huh?

Duffy: I'm glad you're coming home safely, Control, but the loss of that data is huge.

Control: Don't worry, Duff. I have a copy.

Duffy: Why didn't you say that earlier?

Control: Because Cassidy had to be listening in and the real threat was him delivering the data into the wrong hands.

Duffy: I forgot how insufferable and pedantic you were sometimes. Come home safely, crew.

Duffy out.

Eats: Ooo-oo! I think I'm gonna like working with you. So, what's in the file?

Control: Classified.

Eats: Wreck and I nearly died today saving your life. And if we're on the same team, you gotta trust us.

Control: Mmm, That's true.

Here's the scan.

Eats: Great. Hang on. Half the words are blacked out. We risked our lives for this?

Control: Duffy will have to decipher the redacted words.

Eats: Good Lord. Is this document about the Minerva?

Control: Yes. It covers Captain Mallory's last mission. The official mission was to find scouts lost in the irradiated wormhole sector, but SolFleet really expected a first contact situation, which they intended to escalate into a military incident. Before she disappeared, she sent three messages back.

Eats: I heard she sent only one. ‘Crew is safe’.

Control: The second one was, ‘I can't wait for you.’ The third is blacked out, but it looks something like, ‘peace through any means necessary.’

Eats: That's ominous. So, we're returning redacted SolFleet data to them? Don't they have this already?

Control: Um, not to SolFleet per se. We're returning it to Duffy.

Eats: I see what you're doing. Sort of. Hey, Wreck, did you think you'd be landing in such an adventure when you joined the Runners? I sure didn't.

Control: So Eats, are you still going to quit the Runners and be a chemist?

Eats: Are you kidding? This just got interesting! Besides, I can't leave my new family, can I?

(Eats sounds like she’s hugging a drone in gratitude. The drone exclaims in pleasant surprise.)

Drones: Oh!

Control: Good. Take us home, Runners.

Mission completed.

Codex - Bonus Features

Letter

FROM: Control TO: Wreckrunner Team 01 SUBJECT: Saving My Life

So, thanks for saving my life.

I’m not one for speeches. Never know who might be listening.

Look, here’s the thing. You folks took the call on your first day out and pulled me out of the fire. You had no reason to, no reason to trust me even. And even then, when I told you the worst news people in our business can hear, you took it in your stride. SolFleet may be not be honourable, but you sure as hell are. You ran towards the burning building. You put yourselves to one side in return for saving me. That’s not something I can forget. I’m not sure I know how to. Or how to express my gratitude.

My hope is that serving beside you, having your backs when you’re out there on the edge, will be enough. Because I’ll always be there. Right next to you.

Thanks, folks. Stay sharp.

Control

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