4F for Freedom!

[Mark Chance]

Elsewhere...?

Elisa Cameron hears the snap of her neck the instant before she dies.

But then she's awake again, which can't be right if she's dead. Her neck is indeed sore, as if she'd wrenched the muscles doing something too strenuous, but her vertebrae certainly aren't broken. She feels the chill of smooth stone against her bare legs and sits up with a start.

Elisa is in a large chamber, at least twenty feet to a side with a high, vaulted ceiling covered with bas-relief carvings of strange serpents and grim tigers. Colorful paper lanterns like those she's seen hanging in Chinese restaraunts are suspended from the ceiling by thick cords. They illuminate the room. She sits on a thick slab of dark green stone resting on the floor. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of the same rock. Someone has changed her clothes. Gone are her heavy winter clothes. In their place, she wears a skimpy, revealing white outfit, a sort of cross between a cocktail dress and a nightgown. A large, white cape hangs from a peg on the wall near the arched opening leading out of the room into a hall.

Silently, head bowed, a shrunken, hunch-back in a dour, black robe seems to glide into the room. His hands are concealed in the voluminous sleeves of his robe. His bald pate shines in the lantern light. He doesn't lift his wizened face to Elisa, but keeps his eyes trained at foot-level.

"Ah, you are awake. I am Gujin. The Master has instructed me to attend to your needs."

 

[Thanee]

Elisa Cameron, aka Ghost

She slowly sits up, resting her back against the wall behind her. The coolness of the dark green stone has something... comforting. At least, it's the most enjoyable feeling for the moment. Her neck on the other hand. All the time, she runs her fingers along her neck, but regardless of how much she tries to find something, there seems to be nothing wrong.

What the hell happened...

She tries to remember what happened and how she ended up here, but her thoughts just wander off into random directions and vague, confusing pictures come to mind, which she cannot make any sense out of. She shakes her head to make them go away.

Then there is this figure. It had been there for a few moments already, had asked her something. Or did he even ask? No, wait, he said, he's here to attend to her needs. Her needs. There is only one thing, she would need right now. Answers.

“Where am I?” she asks slowly, looking at the man, but unable to meet his eyes.

 

[Mark Chance]

“Where am I?” she asks slowly, looking at the man, but unable to meet his eyes.

Gujin bows as he answers.

"You are in the Shadow Hell, in the Jade Palace of the master, Lord Nemo." Gujin pauses, as if he just heard something. "The master bids me tell you that dinner is to be served at the sounding of the evening gong. Also, an acquaintance of yours, Enrico Fermi, is here, and he will be joining the master and you for dinner."

That name is almost as strange as the situation, and it brings a sudden flood of memories. Enrico Fermi is the lead scientist on Project Nemo at Adak Island, although Elisa cannot remember what Project Nemo is or why she knows about Fermi and Adak Island. She also remembers a darkened room, with other men tied to chairs. A harsh Japanese man in a white robe is yelling, demanding to know where Fermi is.

Then, the memories, such as they are, vanish, leaving a disconcerting hollowness that the cool green stone cannot quite comfort.

"If there is nothing else," Gujin says, "I must attend to other duties. I shall return with the evening gong to escort you to the dining hall."

The hunchback bows again and pauses, making ready to shuffle away if Elisa doesn't object.

 

[Thanee]

Elisa Cameron, aka Ghost

She blinks at the hunchback. What he said doesn't make much sense to her at this moment. She'll have to leave it at that for now. Maybe, hopefully, things would clear up themselves later.

“Could you get me a glass of water? Thank you.”

Every now and then, her fingers are still running along her neck, trying to find something. Something is wrong there, something is wrong here. But she cannot feel it.

 

[Synchronicity]

Bulwark, HP 4/4, Status: Uninjured.

"We're above Adak," he says, "and there's still no radio contact. This storm is a real bear. If we drop below it, we'll be trying to land in near zero visibility in high winds. We have enough reserve fuel to make it back to Egret Station on the next nearest island. We could try for Adak after refueling and the storm's lifted. Or we could attempt the landing now. Your call."

Bulwark, back in his costume, frowns at the news. "It's possible that the lack of radio contact could signal something more ominous, though. Or that the storm could have damaged more than their radio. I think we should try and get to Adak as soon as possible, just in case of accident or...attack. But, then again, I don't know anything about flying a plane. Do you think we can make a landing in this storm? How dangerous would it be for the plane?"

 

[Mark Chance]

“Could you get me a glass of water? Thank you.”

Gujin bows yet again.

"At once."

He seems to glide from the room, and returns a couple of minute later with a golden goblet filled to the brim with clear water. He extends a hand with long, almost dainty fingers holding the vessel. As Gujin offers Elisa the drink, he raises his squinty, watery eyes for the first time.

OOC: Hint, hint - The goblet is not jade.

 

[Mark Chance]

Bulwark, back in his costume, frowns at the news. "It's possible that the lack of radio contact could signal something more ominous, though. Or that the storm could have damaged more than their radio. I think we should try and get to Adak as soon as possible, just in case of accident or...attack. But, then again, I don't know anything about flying a plane. Do you think we can make a landing in this storm? How dangerous would it be for the plane?"

The co-pilot nods. "We can put her down in this weather. It won't be pretty. She may not get back up again any time soon after, but we can do it. Give us the word, and we're there."

 

[Synchronicity]

Bulwark, HP 4/4, Status: Uninjured

The co-pilot nods. "We can put her down in this weather. It won't be pretty. She may not get back up again any time soon after, but we can do it. Give us the word, and we're there."

Bulwark looks around at the others before turning back to the copilot. He pauses for a moment. 'Am I really sure I want to do this? The others might not appreciate me taking charge...and I'm hardly experienced. But still...guess I'll see how it goes.' Bulwark clenches his jaw, and nods to the copilot. "Alright, let's do it. There's too much riding on this to put it off for even the length of a storm." Bulwark cracks his knuckles, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the others, watching how they react to his unspoken assumption of leadership.

(OOC: Just in case it matters, Bulwark won't activate his abilities while on the plane under any circumstances, due to the weight he'll add to it's load. Also, can he have grabbed a winter army coat from either the stopover or the plane? It's gonna be cold out there!)

 

[Karl Green]

Atlas

Atlas grins and remains at around 8ft tall. As soon as the plane lands he will try and be the first off and grow to his full 12ft in height

 

[Thanee]

Elisa Cameron, aka Ghost

She extents her hand to get the goblet, but her fingers pass right through the golden vessel, she cannot touch it. She tries it once more, but the same happens and again, she is unable to grasp it.

Frustrated, she yells at the hunchback: “What kind of trick is this!? Who are you and why are you making fun of me?”

Now she stands up and moves off the stone slab, she was resting on, looking Gujin angrily into the eyes.