[When the feed clicks on, Seviilia appears to be cleaning out what looks to be a primitive and empty fuel canister with a worn piece of cloth. A grinding stone sits on her axes nearby. After quick inspection of the layout, it appears she is not anywhere in Initiate Hold.

Her expression is slightly darkened, but her tone is neutral as ever. She appears to be focusing on her task, even if the canister is mostly clean.]

Perhaps we should consider better preparing ourselves for the next inevitable bombing sequence, hm?

[She pauses in her cleaning and rotates the canister to change directions -- a motion tht seems to take more concentration than it should.]

Unless you are all content to add to the body count. In such case, disregard my notation, I suppose. But I do know we have some capable engineers here -- surely you might come up with something if rebuilding is to occur regardless.

[This is the breathless voice of someone in panic.]

Does anyone know how to get chewing gum out of hair?! It's kind of an emergency...!!

Please help me. I don't want to cut it!

The next time someone decides to experiment with untested psi tech, run it by a telepath or two first? Or at least warn me so I can get out of range before the migraines start.

[Why yes, he has spent the last few days hiding out in his little workshop area with all the lighting off and trying not to move too much because it felt like he was going to puke or his head was going to explode. Which probably accounts for his tone of grumpiness. Though if he wasn't constantly putting his body through the wringer, it'd probably help, too]

[Filtered to his friends + roommates]
Sound off, if you can? I don't like the sound of that last announcement from the Initiative - biological warfare's a nasty business.

[if Nate's had more than one friendly conversation with you, you're probably on that filter list. Or if you were on the expedition]

[Billy's face appears on the screen. He looks defeated, though he tries to school his face into a professional expression---for the past day or so, his horror's been growing until he couldn't deny his failure anymore.]

Hello. My name is Billy Cranston, and I'm the co-creator of the telepathic devices some of you have been testing for us. I'd like to issue an apology for my part in the failure of the test, and to put a stop to it. Edward Elric served as the director of the test, and he's done a fine job---but as the creation was my idea and I have the most experience with the technology, the fault is mine, not his.

I failed to adequately account for the differences in available materials between the telepathic communicators at my previous residence and what I managed to scrape together here. As a result, private thoughts have been broadcast, and I can't apologize enough for the intrusion.

[He stares idly at his hands for a moment, biting his lip.]

Removing your devices from skin contact should be enough to stop the broadcast, but please return them to the garage at your earliest convenience. I doubt my efforts are salvageable at this point, but...if any of you believe you can fix my mistake, I'd appreciate the assistance.

Once again, I'm sorry.

[He turns away and the feed clicks off]

[edit: added attached note]
I've especially hurt our telepathic population. I never should've sprung that mental assault on you, and I was stupid to think I could fully control it. I'll scrap the project altogether, but...if any of you think it's at all possible to save it, we would appreciate your assistance. I definitely understand if none of you are inclined to offer, though.
---

((and that concludes the broadcast plot! development to fix the devices is open to everyone, and please feel free to backdate telepathy posts if you want in))

[The following is broadcast quite intentionally directly from Barney's brain to the network.]

Ring of telepathy. Sounds like something from a D&D game, but if it actually works that's really cool.

Anyways they said to test it, so how about it, is this actually showing up for anyone?

[A couple hours later, this is broadcast quite unintentionally directly from Barney's stream of consciousness to the network:]

Am I out of bread? No there's a bit left, at least the end piece because I didn't use it for breakfast but maybe I should pick up some more today anyways. I wonder what Gordon's up to today maybe we can do beers later. Maybe I should invite Mel too, she seems like she could get behind that kind of thing. Shit how did the theme song to A-Team go. bum ba-dum-bum...bum da daaaa. Ba ba-dum-da, da da daaa! Man I miss that show, I wonder if there are any episodes of it still around? I can't believe I still remember the theme song after twenty years, but I can't remember if I have any bread. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with. It's hard enough to get a good salad here anyways. I'm hungry, what time is it? Damn, still too early for dinner. Maybe I'll just have a snack. Bet you can get better food in United Earth. Dumbest reason to switch sides ever, and a good steak wouldn't be worth being high on mind control drugs all the time anyways. They should try tempting us with good food instead of bombing us and shit. It'd be less crappy for everyone involved. Except for the cows I guess, but they've gotta be resigned to their fate by now. Unless they have some kind of crazy clone-o-matic that can just grow steaks out of grass or something without ever mess around with cows. I wonder if that would taste as good. Fuck I'm hungry. I wonder if there's a taco shack somewhere around here...

[And so on and so on and so on.]

[The last few minutes of the fighting on Elmer's world involved someone literally dragging a semi-conscious Barney out of a crashed UE tank and back through the portal, after a piece of rubble from an explosion clipped him on the side of the head and knocked him half unconscious. It's a mystery why he chose video for this, as the left half of his face is basically one big mess of bruise and scab, his eyes are blood-shot, and he generally looks like hell.]

Hey, uh, I don't exactly remember who it was, but thanks for dragging me back through the portal back there. Just because they can bring us back from the dead doesn't mean I'm wild about throwing my life away.

[He winces, reaches off screen and gingerly plants a giant ice pack on the injured side of his face.]

Sort of related to that, important thought:

UE pretty clearly just followed us to that world. Almost like they did it just to spite us. They KNOW what we're doing here. Seems to me it's only a matter of time before they just show up here and smash us into raspberry jam. Do we have some sort of secret weapon no one told me about that'll stop them?

All right, everyone needs to listen to this! Especially if you were one of the casualties the other day!

I'm as pissed off as anyone about what happened, but the overall attitude here isn't going to help anything! Maybe you got hurt! Maybe you died! But if you just sit around and mope, that's not going to help anything! You're alive now and it's up to you to decide what to do with that opportunity!

You choose how you keep moving forward! Do you really think you can make a difference for those people if you just stay where you are?! Or if you try to pretend like it never happened?! NO! I'm not saying it shouldn't have an effect on you, but the sooner you get past it, the sooner you can do something about it!

[Total deaths: Eight during the big battle, two during the pursuit of Adam, for an even ten overall. Enough to tire a girl out, certainly, so Mokou's taking the day off to rest. Physically fine, of course, but still feeling a bit drained.]

I'm going to have to get used to the kind of fighting that's developed since I was last in the outside world. All that new weaponry and technology is making anything I can do seem thoroughly old-fashioned.

If nothing else, it's making me better understand the motivations behind the rules of conflict where I'm from. If you let anyone attack in any way they wish, then soon enough there's not much artistry to it at all; whoever can slaughter their enemies the fastest and the most efficiently is the winner.

It's all a bit grim, but I suppose I wasn't brought here for a pleasant vacation.

[Kara's casually draped at her table, nursing a beer, smoking a stogie. Thank the gods for those base creature comforts. Still, she looks a little bored at the moment. Because there is one thing lacking in her life. Well many things, but at the moment, it's the lack of card night. Hope her roomies don't mind some company because she's about to invite everyone over, more or less.]

You know what this place needs? Card night.

[Seriously, she misses wiping the floor with the other folks on Galactica and feeding her gambling habit.]

Anyone else around here even play, other than Remy? We can't be the only ones around here, am I right?

[Woe and betide Samus Aran, for her shower would forsake her this morning. It was a nice routine, not that she really liked the idea of settling into one much; wake up, stretch, shower, shove some breakfast in her mouth, go to the Police Station and do her Police Lady thing. This morning however would not be par the course; her nice, hot shower turned into an unforgiving sheet of frigid ice water pelting her back. Not to mention the utter darkness that fell over everything. The distinct hum of electricity stopped. The distinct, muffled and frustrated groans of a few other unfortunate apartment residents she could pick out through the walls. They could probably hear hers too.

Mere inconvenience? Or attack as well-founded paranoid let her mind secondarily settle into. She ambled out of the shower, slipping and sliding on the wet tile floor just to hastily throw a towel around herself. It's surprisingly dark inside the building despite the time of day, and her eyes haven't had time to adjust yet.

After a bit of fumbling around, eventually she manages to locate her tablet. Given the circumstances, she'll be sticking with audio.]

Requesting a status report from all awake and coherent Transports.

[If she could figure out if this outage was limited to just the apartment building or not, that would be a good first step.]

Who has electricity and who does not?

[Video]

Think I've basically got my bearings down around here pretty good. Just one big thing I haven't been able to find (Aside from white sand beaches, that is.).

Have we got a good firing range around here? I'm gonna get rusty without having Overwatch or the CPs hounding my ass constantly.

[Private to Gordon]

So.

Morrigan?

[ The feed snaps on, and it's Saber, lying on her side with her cheek pressed against her knuckles. It's the more blue yes, they're color coded, calmer version also flatter chested, and probably the "older" one in staying in Exsilium. She has an almost uncharacteristic smirk on her face, but she's gonna go ahead and address the tablet with: ]

Tell me of the various tales of your lands, foreigners of Exsilium.

And not just any stories - I wish to know of your heroes, of your mythologies, of your monsters and men. Perhaps walking among you are heroes and villains themselves. I would think we've all calmed down from the Initiative's most recent fallacy: surely those afflicted have learned some things of their bodies to pique certain curiosities?

I am particularly interested in myths surrounding a figure known as King Arthur and his Excalibur. [ This is where her smirk just grows a bit too much for one whose expression is mostly guarded and impassive. ]

Different realms account for different flavors, but perhaps we will discover the threads here.

[ It takes Cair a bit to really figure out the tablet since she's not an engineer, but when she does, she smiles and makes sure she's looking decent enough for the camera. She begins to speak in Common since she believes it's universal enough here... ]

...This is certainly a time where I wish I had someone from New Tinkertown here--

Ah, hello! I believe I've figured out this device they've given us by now. For those of you who didn't meet up with me a few days ago, my name is Cairistiona Vyeth-Sunstriker, Knight Commander of Stormwind. It's a pleasure to meet everyone here.

Now, um - I know we're expected to train to strengthen our weapons and ourselves that much more. So, if anyone needs training in melee or light-based attacks, I'd be happy to offer my services however possible. I can schedule in training days and times with you, too, or if you'd like to join me, I can be found in one of the gyms at around seven in the morning!

Also, if anyone's in need of getting armor or weapons repaired or built, I can offer my services as a blacksmith. I'm not too sure on what kinds of ore there are in this world, but I can mine that, too should anyone need it.

[ She pauses here, wondering if it's okay to ask her next question... Well, Anduin was here, so what could be the harm? ]

For my next concern... Is anyone here from Stormwind, Darnassus, Exodar, Ironforge or New Tinkertown? Or, really, Azeroth in general? I figure it might be best if we work together here. ...That is, of course, if there hasn't been anything put in place already.

[...] I'm in room 501 if anyone wants to talk to me there.

[ ACTION ]

[ Lo and behold, the paladin can be found in her room and waiting for anyone to come over. It looks like she's already moved in well to her half of the room, if the way her mementos and other things are arranged. Her armor sets are hanging up with her dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of slacks. She's focused on the tablet after using it to record, trying to figure it out.

Should anyone come, she'll greet them with a wave and a wide smile. ]

Hello! May I help you?

[ She can also be found in the gym where she's diligently training - this time in her Lightbringer armor. (Don't ask how that crown is staying up like that.)

She's mainly checking to see if there's any dampeners put on her when she uses her powers. When she finds that there isn't, she's pleasantly satisfied. At least she can rest a bit easier knowing that. ]

...Hm... Wonder if I should practice anything else...

[The cam shows the inside of a bar full of happy people partying hard, and a rather unsteady looking Barney. Respond on the network or as someone at the bar.]

I think-

[Jostled, regathering train of thought.]

I think, that this Separation Day is a really good celebration. All these people getting together, and just forgetting about their troubles for a while...and telling all those Untied Earth guys to fuck off, and...and buying alla us transports drinks!

[He holds up a pint glass.]

Down with Untied Earth! I'll shove a crowbar up their asses!

[The Exsilium natives laugh and cheer as Barney puts down his tablet on a table to go do some drunk errand. He'll be back in a moment to see who's talking. Alternatively, you could call him up tomorrow and make fun of him making an ass of himself.]

[Hey look everyone! It's...some guy.]

These Initiative guys have a thing or two to learn about timing. At least the decor's not too different here, though that's not really a plus.

Whatever, I'll roll with it. Name's Barney Calhoun, and I've got some experience with resisting oppressive world governments. Does Black Mesa or The Combine sound familiar to anyone around here?

What about beer? I think I'm going to need some of that before the day is out.