mayfield_rpg | event: the beginning of the end

event: the beginning of the end

[You were told to speak with the Postman and request his aid- but are you sure this is a good idea? This is, after all, the man who would watch happily as you lost organs and limbs, all to reclaim a simple piece of home. Not that most of you remember that, of course- but are you willing to risk trusting some voice in your head that you can barely remember?

In any case, the Postman sits behind his counter at the Post Office, apparently counting stamps. He doesn't look up as you enter, but his voice speaks plainly.]

Well? Do you need something?

[ooc: In the interest of time, we'll be doing one group thread with the Postman. We'll leave it up to you guys to decide who goes in to speak with him, but it'll all have to be in a single group.]

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[Crowe was nervous, but his face was steady. He didn't like this idea at all, but they had to try something. He gave a quick glance over the rest of the group, before speaking.]

Yes, sir. We were wondering if you'd speak with us. We... need your help.

[Bazett is almost unsure why she is standing here. However, she knows that there is something that she must speak to the postman about.]

Something strange...is going on here. And I am sure you know more about this than any of us here do.

...I think you might know what we need already.

[Lucas glances around at the assorted crew and nods. Think of Miss Margot think of Miss Margot... He draws a piece of paper from his pocket - it is a folded bit of a math assignment.

Carefully written in blue ink on the back is the following:]

"Your sister says: 'Tell him Zemekis isn't the only one who's woken up'."

[He slides it onto the counter.

...This is already making his head hurt. He'll leave it to someone else to explain.]

Edited 2012-10-29 04:38 (UTC)

[Dist is even there, though unusually he's silent. He doesn't know precisely what the Librarian remembers, but he brought a pen and paper to jot down whatever happens here.]

[Luke's eyes quickly drop to the paper Lucas set on the counter, then dart back up to the postman.]

[He taps the paper on the counter.] Annie told us to bring you this message. We're guessing it has something to do with the memories that were planted in our heads a few days ago.

Some of us managed to figure out what was going on.

[Luke holds steady a cloud of awareness in the immediate area through the Force, focusing on the emotions and intentions of those present. Primarily he hopes to pick up something from the postman.]

Edited 2012-10-29 06:41 (UTC)

[Sherlock is watching the postman for every twitch and flicker. Even the smallest reaction can give him much needed information. Sherlock isn't exactly high, but the cocaine is giving him a bit more resilience against the pain - from whatever is trying to rewrite the memories.]

Some who tried to tell others the truth have vanished. Others, for whatever reason, the fake memories never worked - and they are suffering terribly for it. Annie tells us, "Zemekis isn't the only one who's woken up," so, who is doing this, hmmm? Is the same person who tried to rewrite our memories the same person taking people away?

[Sherlock doesn't ask if they are safe or not. He is assuming they're not safe. He just wants the mystery solved so hopefully he can go home.]

[The Postman's eyes narrow. The usual cocky grin on his face is gone, replaced by something else- something old, and something dangerous.]

You're right. I do remember. More than you do, at any rate...

[He glances away from them. His voice is cold.]

Annie is... was... my sister. We came here, together, a very long time ago. Before it all went wrong. You might not believe me, but there was a time when we actually were happy here. The way you guys have been programmed to think now. Zemekis has spent the past few years trying to recapture those days, but he's never succeeded. Until now.

[He pauses for a moment before continuing, as if choosing his words carefully.]

You should know, it's not too late. All you have to do is stop struggling. Let the fake memories take over. It won't last forever, but you might get a few more months of happiness before the whole damn thing crashes. If you keep going like this, keep fighting... God only knows what's going to happen. I sure don't.

Are you prepared to keep going, even knowing that?

[Crowe listened carefully to his words carefully, his eyed widening at the idea of letting the memories take over. His head hurt enough that it almost sounded like a good idea. Fighting them off was getting more and more difficult by the moment.]

Crashes? But letting them take over, I... N-No, I can't. I'd rather go out being me i-if that's the case. I-- [He stopped short, rubbing his temple and wincing.]

Fake...

[First, there comes the relief that she is not crazy. Her memories are false, as she had suspected. However, his tone is still enough to produce a flare of surprise, as she had not been prepared to accept all of her memories as false. The surprise goes away soon enough, leaving anger in its place. Whoever Zemekis was...he had tampered with her memories.]

Return them. Return my real memories.

[All these people she knew...what were they really like? What was her relationship with them really like?]

And...what is Zemekis? Why is there going to be a crash?

He... still hasn't. And he never will. ...Not like this.

[His willpower is strong. The will to fight in the face of the death of everything he cared for... The will to fight even when it necessitated the destruction of the world. He's spent the last week hovering just under the surface of Mayfield's influence - barely aware enough of the truth to understand that it wasn't right.

If he was saving his willpower for anything, now was the time to push back. There is no physical manifestation of the effort he undertakes save for a lengthy exhalation - he is a psychic. This would not be his first battle conducted by strength of will alone.

...For the briefest of moments, he remembers it all.]

You said to me once... You told me -- You told me to keep on...!

I've always believed that at the very end of it all... you would help us. So, please. No matter what the consequences...

[Luke had already been sure that the memories were false. There was no doubt in his mind. Still, there was something satisfying about hearing it confirmed from someone else. Even still, everything else out of the postman's mouth left him with disbelief and anger. He briefly closes his eyes and lowers his head, holding back an outburst of frustration.]

You'd think by now we'd have made it clear that we'll never be happy here. All we've ever wanted is to go home. The person who imprisoned us here is sick and wrong, as is anyone who works to further that cause. [He glares straight into the postman's eyes when he says this.]

I'd rather face an unknown future than spend another day in this warped place.

[Sherlock glares at the Postman when he tells them to 'stop struggling.']

Some of us don't have a choice. The way my mind stores information is based on concrete places back home. Nothing can change that, except for me.

[He pauses.]

Explain what you mean by "crashes". You make it sound like we're part of a machine.

[His headache is getting stronger. He should have taken a higher dose of cocaine before coming here. He doesn't want to waste it, though.]

Why are we here? What is our purpose?

[Even with so many angry eyes on him, the Postman doesn't seem perturbed. He glances at Sherlock.] If it sounds like that, it's because it's true. Nothing in Mayfield is real- I thought you'd have figured that out by now. It's a computer simulation- or at least that's how it started out. Once Zemekis started altering it, who knows what it became...

As for you? You're here to prove a point. Before he was killed, a man named Richard Grey told Zemekis that no matter how much he improved Mayfield, it would never be "perfect". It would never be a place where everyone would want to live, regardless of their personalities or preferences. Maybe some would, but not all. And "some" wasn't good enough for Zemekis.

[The Postman leans back in his chair, eyes closed. He seems almost relieved to be saying this out loud.]

He's insane. I don't know if he just went crazy on his own, or if it has to do with plugging his brain into whatever mainframe runs this place. But he doesn't understand how humans think anymore. He brought you here thinking that if he just kept fixing the errors, making the town better, that eventually you'd all learn to love it. That hasn't worked, obviously, so now he's just gone back to the old ways. Brainwashing, like he did to us. But even he can't keep the power here going forever- and when it goes, we all go.

I'd say we have maybe a month or two left before Mayfield switches off, forever. Before that happens, we take the fight to Zemekis. It won't be easy, but hey- I'd say you guys are used to making sacrifices by now, am I right? [a weary smile.]

And how did we get here? I'm not planning on dying in some madman's delusion.

[He's been taking diligent notes on the conversation thusfar, but by now Dist just can't help but speak up. He does know that they'd have to take action to preserve their own fates, but to know that, they need to know how the program works. Zemekis is invincible otherwise.]

[Bazett feels her body tremble, but she does not know from what emotion. The anger is still there--anger at being brought here and having her memories tampered with. But now there is also fear.]

[She is not real. This town is not real. It could disappear at any second. But if she was not Bazett Fraga McRemitz, then what was she?]

Are we simulations as well? How does everything feel so real?

[It's just as he had thought. ...Or, what he would have thought if his mind was clear. All the information they'd collected had led up to this one, inevitable conclusion.

Some part of him had accepted it long ago. Lucas follows up on the others' questions slowly.]

...Are we even real enough to die?

[Crowe's head hurt so much, he had to steady himself against the nearby wall. It doesn't keep him from staring the Postman down, then nodding at his last comment.]

Considering what I've gone throught here a-already... I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find out what's real and what's not. And get this over for good.

Edited 2012-11-04 04:32 (UTC)

[Sherlock looks a touch worried. He's blaming the cocaine for the fact that he can't control his emotions as well as he'd like.]

You were all brainwashed too - interesting. And how do we know you're not still in such a state and therefore lying to us?

You say "when Mayfield goes, we all go." Does that mean we die, or get... [He takes a gasped breath at the pain.]... get sent back?

If we get sent back, why should we 'take the fight' anywhere? Unless we die and are stuck here, what's our motivation for helping you?

[Everyone has already asked all the questions Luke had and voiced his concerns. And as much as he doesn't really like the answers he already got, he's far less annoyed with the postman and seems to relax a bit.

He stands beside Sherlock, who just asked Luke's biggest question. He awaits the postman's answer with deep interest.]

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event: the beginning of the end

starting this off cuz I gotta hit the hay, sorry kids

Re: starting this off cuz I gotta hit the hay, sorry kids

Re: starting this off cuz I gotta hit the hay, sorry kids

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/slides back in, apologizing

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