paradisalogs | Into the Insolitus

Who: Those going on the expedition
What: ~~Finding Bits!~~ An expedition
When: December 27, 9am
Where: The Insolitus
Rating: G-PG?

As nine o'clock approached, one would find one Alan Bradley making final preparations outside the Insolitus. Backpack filled with supplies over his shoulders, he was examining the notes from the last venture into the Insolitus once again. He'd copied them into the new journal for easy reference.

Soon enough they'd be well on their way into the dark. He'd armed himself with a Grid baton but had a flashlight and extra batteries just in case. He didn't want to be stuck inside, lost, for a month or more, as the Castle had been known to do. Hopefully Gibson's energy nodes would be on the way, but you never knew. The Castle - and the Insolitus especially - were everything but predictable.

He and Dairine had been the first to arrive - which made sense, considering they'd been the ones to propose the idea - and waited for the others to arrive as nine o'clock rolled around.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And so they set off into the unknown.

Without further ado (or protest from those who've gathered that they're not ready), Alan swings open the door to the Insolitus and strides into the darkness that stretches in front of them, activating his baton to use as a lantern. He looks back from time to time as they walk, just to check in on the progress everyone's making, not wanting anyone to fall behind.

About a half-hour in, they reach a fork in the trail where the path splits into three - left, center, and right. Alan stops so that the map can be updated.

"Pick a path," he requests. He hasn't seen Gibson's lights yet, and it's really up to all of them to decide which way to go. He's curious, sure, but he doesn't have a particular preference on which way to go. It's too dark to see far enough to determine which path is most direct to the destination they don't have in mind.

Raine looks thoughtfully at the fork. She could consult her own map, but the purpose of this exercise is to confirm them by mapping out new routes, wasn't it? She gets a piece of chalk out of her pockets.

"I'd suggest we choose the right, marking this passageway to show we've been by it once before. In many ruins, following a right-hand rule ensures you see all possible rooms or forks in the passageway."

Dairine has been grinning from ear to ear during the journey thus far. It feels great to be exploring new ground, even if they are still inside the castle. Being stuck in one place for so long really puts an intergalatic traveller like her in a rut. Why didn't she check out this place sooner?

"Sounds good to me." Dairine looks over towards the others to see if anyone else has objections. She doesn't really care which road they take, so long as it leads them somewhere cool.

"Given that it all looks the same anyway, it can't make that much of a difference," Aradia adds with a shrug. "I am okay with right."

It's kind of like spelunking, the way she sees it. It's got that nostalgic feel to it, not only of the FLARP game from last year, but the caves she used to explore back on Alternia with her lusus, too. Going out and exploring with friends remains one of her favorite pastimes, even if they don't wind up finding anything, and even if it's technically an indoor activity.

Alan nods. "Right it is, then," he murmurs. The reasoning is sound enough for him, and he starts down the rightmost path, activated baton lighting the way that stretches ahead of the group. "Do you have a lot of experience with ruins?" he asks Raine as they walk.

There's a change underfoot and Alan gets to experience for himself what Aradia meant earlier. "Watch your step," he calls out behind him. "Starting to slope downward." The path isn't very steep, but it's definitely not flat like it was before.

The trek continues, the group taking the right pathway whenever they come across an intersection. Eventually Alan pauses momentarily, moving the baton away from his eyes so he can peer ahead into the darkness. He's not sure how much time has passed here in the dark; they might have to stop to ask the other Castle residents soon via the journal. Sure enough, though, green lights glow a ways down the hallway, little pinpricks of light.

"Those're Gibson's."

"As much experience as I can," Raine confesses, which is nothing less than the truth. "I've been fascinated by ruins ever since I was very young, and they've been a particular study of mine. What history we have isn't always reliable, you know, and there's quite a lot you can learn about a place by inspecting it yourself."

For example, no one had told her about green lights in the Insolitus.

"Ah--now who might Gibson be?"

"He's a program," Dairine states simply. That much she knew. Dairine will leave the more complicated explaination to Alan, who's actually met Gibson.

Those lights are more interesting anyway. She speeds up to check out the nearest one, moving slightly ahead of the group.

Alan nods at Raine's explanation. "It's a good mindset to have no matter how accurate the data is. Some things you have to see for yourself." The programmer is used to checking code - not to mention that his wife's a scientist who drilled that into his head even when he already knew it.

"Yes. A program." Alan smiles fondly; he and Gibson had been fast friends during his stay at the Castle, each learning what they could from one another about the vastly differing pieces of their shared world.

"He had an affinity for tracing and collecting energy. It was one of his jobs back on the Grid. Carved his own spot into this place once he realized that the Castle's magic - energy, really - felt like it was coming from in here. It only helped that the sun wasn't here to bother him, either." The old man chuckles. "It's easier to demonstrate than explain."

It doesn't take long for them to reach Dairine and the Energy Transfer Conduit, a green panel glowing bright on the dark wall of the inside of the Insolitus. "It converts the Castle's magic into energy usable by programs, transferred by touch. We're able to consume that same energy in liquid form, but I've never tried using the ETC's."

A program? Raine's not quite sure what they mean by that, but clearly he was someone interested in energy. What she does notice almost as soon as they come up upon the ETC is the way it converts pure mana into electrical mana. Strange bit of taint to it, too. She'd have expected it to be a pure violet-black, like Volt, but it's green. Raine reaches out to tough it - and is surprised when it seems to drain out at her touch.

"Oh! Oh, very interesting. I see. And he'd have to have tapped into the castle's native energy fields to build something like this. Oh my."

Usable by programs, he'd said, but apparently it isn't difficult for anyone with opened mana circuits.

Dairine has already been poking at the glowing Energy Transfer Conduit while waiting for the group, so she's absorbed enough energy by the time they get there. It feels great! She hasn't had this much energy since her post-Ordeal period. The energy is making her feel slightly hyper, which might show a little in the way she bounces lightly on her feet.

"Pretty sure it works for us, unless I'm a special case." Which, hey, she might be. One of the perks to being part computer.

"I didn't realize programs had jobs. I thought they stuck with their directives," Dairine comments. At least that's the impression CLU and Rinzler gave off, and they were the only ones she had met personally. She skips over to Alan, wanting to ask more questions about the Grid. Especially about one topic in particular. "Liquid energy?"

Alan nods. "That was one of the things he was good at, yes."

Dairine's increased energy has resulted in a few amusing behavioral changes - nothing drastic, but a bit like a sugar high. Nothing as severe as its effects on the Doctor, but definitely visible. He doesn't comment on it, but it does get filed away in the back of his mind. Kids.

Alan nods. "Often directives and jobs correspond, or are at least similar. CLU's directive was to create a perfect system, and his job was to be a SysAdmin. Rinzler's directive and job is protection and security."

Alan nods at her next question, unslinging his backpack from his back and rifling through it. He pulls out a quasi-glass tube that's dimly glowing cyan. "It's like the ETC - only you drink it. It's pretty potent."

"Then what was Gibson's directive?"

Her eyes light up at the sight of the glass tube. "Oh! My Christmas present. I was wondering what that was." Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out an identical container of energy.

Into the Insolitus

Day One

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