Relative Time

[trustycrowbar]

[Video, public.]

[Gordon looks like hell. Drawn and sleepless, A large bruise on his forehead across the browbone, several scrapes, cuts and bruises on his face and neck, glasses scratched... He stares into the camera awkwardly, with bustle in the Labs behind him.]

No doubt you've seen the large anomalous mass in the middle of the city. I believe we know exactly what it is now.

It's a creature by the name of Zagreus. It's a conscious collective of timelines that had been unnaturally stopped from manifesting the way they should. The resultant energy has gained a name and a mind... of a fashion, but not a form. Yet. It's not alive in the conventional sense, but it does have a goal: to eradicate every timeline it comes into contact with, including ours. It had been dormant in the Doctor's subconscious until now; god only knows how it got out, but now it's free, and gestating inside that temporal knot in the center of town. Feeding off all the chaos of the age-scrambling while the Timeknot dilation field ages and turns to ash anything that gets immersed in it.

We've got to get in there and destroy Zagreus before it reaches full maturity. Thanks to the Doctor's schematics we at the Labs have created a handful of personal temporal stability devices that will enable us to get into the Tineknot unharmed. What we need now, are people who are willing to use them. We should have enough devices for anyone who wants to go in, anyone who wants to fight, but let me know here so that I can be sure of it.

Tomorrow morning we'll meet there. I plan on going in as well. It wouldn't be the first time I did something like this... But I get the feeling that even in its larval stage, Zagreus is going to take all our firepower to take down.

[Video, private to Morrigan]

[He knows she heard him, that he intends to throw himself into that portal to god-knows-where. He hadn't mentioned anything of the sort to her. Therefore:]

I think I owe you an explanation.

((EDIT: Log post is HERE! CHARGE!))

Comments

[vaudevil]

[Cue in one very confused young scientist.]

Hold on, you mean to tell me that this thing is out to destroy timelines? That's not possible. Time isn't energy and it's not a mass so how can it destroy something that has no form? Time is a concept, a measurement of continuity. It has no physical form.

[Yeah, Lee's just a little weirded out.]

[trustycrowbar]

[Gordon actually spent a while trying to phrase this in as non-crazy terms as possible. Naturally it didn't work, and normally Gordon would relish at the chance to spur a discussion on the topic, but he is very Not In the Mood right now.]

I'll level with you Lee, it's worse than that. Time is a measure of increasing entropy. I think it thrives on entropic gradient discharge and seeks to absorb it once it's powerful enough to.

So it doesn't just want to destroy our timeline. It's out to consume it.

[vaudevil]

[There's a moment of shock on his face. In that instant, he couldn't determine if he wants to laugh or if he should take it seriously. He'll decide on the later, it seems safer.]

O~kay. Whatever that thing is, it's going to be disappointed and demand a refund on the check.

[Yes, he's actually thinking about this seriously even if it doesn't seem like he is.]

This is certainly a nice little conundrum. Is there a plan?

[Private to Gordon.]

[bad_is_better]

When ye come back.

Go and do what ye need to do.

[trustycrowbar]

Are you sure?

[The last time he lept blindly into a temprospacial rift, he had no plausible way to come back. it was only through the actions of that bastard in the suit that he came back at all, his single positive bullet point. He hasn't exactly taken the time to calculate their return this time, either, but in light of what's at stake it doesn't really matter.]

...Alright. When I come back. [No matter how long it takes.]

[bad_is_better]

It's something ye can do, and ye need to do for everyone. I'm sure.

Besides, they say if you leave something unexplained you're more likely to come back from danger.

I'll... uh... see if I can figure out this device and have a cup of coffee for ye when ye come back.

[She's very, very positive about the 'when', it seems.]

May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may the powers that be hold you in the palm of their hand, Gordon Freeman.

[demonbloodblade]

I said I had your back, Doc. Let's do it.

[trustycrowbar]

[A slightly grim smile.] Glad to have you with me, Meliantha.

[video]

[kingdom_of_song]

I've had a long talk with the TARDIS, me. I think...

[The young Kingdom Swann looks a bit nervous, but draws himself up into a pile of newfound energy.]

I think helping is what I need tae do.

[trustycrowbar]

Good. Thanks.

Out of curiosity... what did she say?

[kingdom_of_song]

We talked of all sorts of things. She said we know each other, in the future? I'll believe that. Too much going on to ignore.

The Doctor's very important to 'er, like family. An' they both feel right, ye know? Hard tae explain. If I feel so strongly about 'em in the future, then I gotta help them, 'tis nae something I'm questioning. Start tae do that, and well, I likely woudlnae be having this convo with ya now. I'd be on the other side of the city.

Honestly, I'm wondering why I'm offering myself up anyway, but like I said, no questions. It's important, and that's what is.

priviate; video

[lovesgod]

[Lucifer holds up the anti-time black blob in front of the camera.]

This look familiar to you?

Re: priviate; video

[trustycrowbar]

[That gets his attention. Surprise turns to intense curiosity as he peers through the camera. Is it... moving? No, no must just be a trick of the light. Interference through the camera or something.]

...Can't say it does. What the hell is it?

Re: priviate; video

[lovesgod]

The doctor told me to get this and talk to you to stop breaking time in the middle of the city. This is... well, hell if I know. Closer to a lack of a thing, really.

video;

[charming_jerk]

So's this thing the reason everyone's getting time-swapped? Either way, count me in if this thing needs a beatin'.

[trustycrowbar]

Either he's behind it, or he capitalized upon it. In any case, I'm glad to have you with us.

What kind of fighting do you do?

[charming_jerk]

The kind where I hit things a lot with my fists. Or somethin' I can swing at if, if ya got somethin'.

[priad]

You need someone to slay this thing? I shall help.

[trustycrowbar]

Good, thanks.

We're meeting outside that weird-ass bubble thing tomorrow morning. Come ready to fight but prepared to cross some terrain if we have to.

[priad]

I am a Space Marine. [ Which is to say all that needs to be said. He's basically ready for anything all the time. Well, except peace. ]

[video]

[asskickersunite]

[The concern on Eddie's face is plain to see.]

Gordon, dude, you look like shit. You know if somethin' needs an axe to the face, I got your back.

[trustycrowbar]

[A dry laugh] Thanks. I got into a boxing match with an eldrich eel-monster. As you can imagine, it was a short and decisive fight.

We'll meet tomorrow down there by the timeknot. Bring your gear, and expect a trek. I don't know how far we're going to have to travel in there.

And, uh... Thanks, Eddie.

[asskickersunite]

Don't worry, we'll make sushi out of that motherfucker before the day is done. I'll come with everything, and I might even summon my car.

[Eddie smiles, shaking his head.]

We're all in this together, Gordon. I got your back. Just a word of advice before we get too involved in the fight, since I don't think you've seen my little trick before.

Don't get too freaked out if I have red skin, glowing yellow eyes, and an awesome pair of wings. It's kind of a thing I do.

[Despite his concern, Eddie's tone is fairly nonchalant.]

[Video]? Action? Whatevs

[strategic_guile]

...you really know how to keep the party going, don't you?

[Video until otherwise?]

[trustycrowbar]

What can I say? It ain't a party until someone has to throw themselves into a dimensional time rift.

Don't worry. I'm... pretty sure I know what I'm doing. I know we'll make it back. [He's lying. He actually has no clue if they'll be back, or if their bodies will even be retrievable once the singularity disperses, or even if the timeknot won't instantaneously collapse with all of them inside.]