Fr@gm3n+5: Do You Find It Hard To Remember?

[Mistearea]

Raz looks over to the one that said something about being there and smiles. It would seem that his text message got there quite a bit later than normal. He must admit that he was rather annoyed when thing like that happened. But he mentally shrugs it off and waves to the second newcomer. He then takes a look around the area and notices that there are suddenly many more people than when he last looked. He quickly counts the heads and realizes that he recognizes many of them from when he himself played the game. Well this is rather interesting. It would seem that he is to be teamed up with his formal enemies. Something about that seems rather poetic to the young man. But before he can think on this matter much more he takes the book marks his spot in it before sliding it into the back of his pockets.

"So is this everyone? Or did we manage to kill a few of you guys off when I played this little game? Either way I hope to get this started soon. I so wish to see my little brother again. But I do worry that you guys might attack me in confusion."

With that he rises to his feet and walks around the room just passively looking at the others and even some of the furniture. He then comes to the one that said that he just had some fun and walks up to him. As if a dog suddenly possessed him he leans in close and sniffs the young man a few times before saying, "You smell like Death himself. Have you been off imagining yourself to be Genghis Khan? Is that why you say that you just had a lot of fun?" He smiles as he leans back into a regular position and says, "Of course, I kid. Who would actually want to be like that brute?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kael watches as the other kids takes out a sticker each and puts it somewhere on his or her body, deciding not to figure out where that one girl decided to put her sticker, and slides his hand into his own pocket. Unsurprisingly he finds his own sticker there and pulls it out. The design seems rather simply being a knife with a ridged back, or rather the silhouette of one, on a white background. Considering that the others all put their stickers some place unique, Kael figures that these might actually be useful in some aspect. Considering that they are stickers he figures that they could only be used as keys for specialized locks and that one girl would soon regret where she put that sticker if this turns out to be the case. So instead of being unique about it, he focuses on practicality and places it in the middle of the palm of his right hand.

He rubs that spot with his right thumb and smiles as he feels it, but the smile soon fades as he realizes that his thumb can no longer feel it, but his palm does. He looks to the spot and sees that it has vanished from the spot like it has for so many others. So much for the key idea. Or maybe the locks make them visible again to show that they can't be used anymore or something. Once again he fees his head try to split from his thinking too much on something so he stops his thinking and leans against the wall of the room that they are in. This time he watches carefully as the others leave the area through the stairs while some remain behind. He can't explain why, but he feels that he needs to stay behind and be the last one to leave a room. That way if anyone was hiding there they would go after him instead of others.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll hang around and pull up the rear."

 

[Mason Stark]

The voices of the others grew more and more distant in her ears as Kit drew further away. Silence started to fill the air. She sighed; just what she needed... good ol' silence. No one around, no one to bother her...

But a sound piqued up in her ears. Was that... wheels? Turning with a glance, the girl jumped, stumbling over her sneakers, and gave a squeaky, audible 'ah!' before hanging her head. That girl was following her! What, did she think that they were now buddies from that pathetic conversation that had? No, not at all! She stuffed her hands in her pockets and quickened her pace a step or two.

Alright we're off!

Suddenly, there was a hand patting Kit's back, another thing that made the poor girl jump. She vaguely glanced to the side and realized that another person decided to join her: some kid who called him Jack. He said that he was traveling with them. Oh, great. Rather than speaking up (introducing herself and all that jazz), she did the complete opposite: she pulled her hood over her head and continued being as social as a brick wall.

From what she could tell from the others, because Kit left first, her actions were congratulatory. No one else had made the move, but she did. Now they were all following her. In all honesty, she left to be left alone, not to have a party. Sure, she was curious about what was outside of that parking lot, but she still wanted to be left to her own devices.

Attempting to keep to herself, she took the stickers out of her pocket, which grew more interesting when she did: the first sticker was a medal rod complete with a colourful burst from hitting something, while the other was a spike of ice shooting out of the ground. Both were cartoony and comic book-inspired in style, but they both seemed to be important. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it seemed like she need them... Going with her instincts, she put the rod sticker on the back of her right hand, while the ice sticker went on the back of her left, before both hands hid in her hoodie pockets again.

 

[Endless Warrior Sora]

The pieces had all been assembled. Well. Almost all of them. A disturbance could be felt. Something...something here was incorrect. A flaw. An error. An anomaly. Those had to be extinguished. However this anomaly was unclear. Unclear for the moment. So the disturbance would go unchecked. There was more pressing matters to attend to. A Cycle to begin. The three TV's that were stacked on top of varying heights of cardboard boxes had played nothing but constant static since the Collectors had begun to gather once more. They all looked like they belonged to three separate time periods, and varied in size and shape.

The static abruptly came to a halt and an image was revealed. The figure was cloaked, even hidden from his own employees. The being known as R.E.M. addressed his workers. It was as if the being had put a portrait of himself in front of the static filled television.

"Hello again, my fri3end5. As y0u all @re pr0bably currently aware, a new Cycle has c0mmenced. As Harbringer5. you are a11 fu11 awar3 of what that means. Fr@gm3n+ed currently walk the streets of 3nix Ci+y, awaiting your grac3ful judg3ment upon their memories and fa+es. I charge y0u all to be as 3fficient as possible in dispatching them. As y0u all are also aware, your hard earned work does not come without a price. In 3xchang3 for y0ur humbl3 services, y0u are best0wed with the gift of eternal life. A bl3ssing some of you may already be able to attest to." The voice emerged as clear, yet garbled. As if there was still static interfering to mask the voice, yet not enough to impair the clarity. Images of the awakening Fragmented were displayed on the screens, revealing their faces and the puzzled looks plastered on all of them.

"District Zer0 is a safe haven. 0nc3 the Fr@gmen+ed exit from that realm, is when you are allowed to begin to distribute judg3ment. I am als0 awar3 that w3 have some n3w addi+ions to our ranks. W3lcome, my fri3nd. I wish to cl3ar th3 air of any form of confusion. When you 3merge into 3nix Ci+y obviously, you wi11 be utilizing abilities far b3yond the sc0pe the m0rtals can c0mprehend. As long as y0u b3ar my branding, rather, th3 s+ickers and t@t00s you a11 possess, n0 m0rtal can see you d0 battle, nor will they witness any 0f the destruction caused. As you may have noticed during your time as a Fragmented. D3struction will be handled persoally by myself, so do not l3+ the m0rtals ar0und you impede y0ur w0rk ethic. I wish you all g00dluck, f33l fr33 to discuss amongst yourselves any type 0f tactics or strategies and I will...k33p in touch."

And with that, the television reverted back to it's state of Static. And Silver lied there on the couch. Fast. Asleep. The mans pale head arched back as he unleashed an extremely loud snore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, mind putting your sticker on? I'm just wondering about something. No questions, because I don't have any answers until after you put it on. You might see why I asked when you do."

Shiro raised an eyebrow, and looked back at his sticker. Well, it did look kinda awesome.

"Sure, whatever you say bro." He grinned as he removed the adhesive block fro the sticker and slapped it onto the back of his left hand. Soon the sticker began to disappear, as if it sunk into his skin. He could still feel it there, but when he rubbed his arm, he couldn't feel it at all. It was...quite strange to say the least. He stared wide eyed at the space the sticker used to occupy and kind of...fidgeted.

"What in the world just happened?! That was...that was crazy!"

".... thats your name? It would be better if a few of us go out, and the others stay here to see if there's anything else that can be discovered....... Me and these two will head down first, once everyone else feels good follow to catch up with us I guess. If anyone else feels right as rain i guess you might as well follow now.... but lets not leave anyone alone.... No telling whats outside of this place..."

"In any case, we have to decide what to do next. If that hallway is the only way forward, staying here won't do any good either. If our goal is survival, we need to decide what to do. Now. I'll follow you two, but I advise you all make a decision fast."

It seemed as if everyone was leaving. Shiro was too preoccupied with his sticker to interject, although he really wanted to. he had almost forgotten that they were in some strange room. He was too happy making friends. It was like...it was like starting over. Clean slate. from whatever he was before. He didn't care. But he guessed reality always had a way of prevailing in these types of situations. He looked to his new found friend Kaito and grinned, putting his hands behind his head.

"Ready to go?" He asked warmly.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll hang around and pull up the rear."

Shiro looked to the one who said that and grimaced. He was a little concerned, to say the least.

"You sure , dude?" He inquired. "I can stay behind with ya if you like, just so you're not totally by yourself." He grinned again, obviously this kid was a more of a glass half full type. Too positive for his own good. At least, outwardly.

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

Bright blue eyes suddenly opened at the sound of static... that same dreadful sound the figure atop of the parking lot heard many a time when he entered this state of "reality"..... however in a way he had missed it.... it had been quiet a while since he had been sent into the game. Dull eyes watched the ground as three figure suddenly exited the building... no make that four as another older girl exited in suit after the first three. He simple watched them.... at their exit of the building the game had official begun, and no doubt R.E.M had begun his briefing with the Harbingers.... that title left a horrid taste in his mouth.
.
As if to avoid the thoughts of how those people stayed alive he returned his attention to the four below him. From what he could see one was a young girl hiding her appearance in her clothing, another a girl in skates, atleast a nineteen year old boy who seemed to be scanning the area for somethin, and another woman who was pretty much doing the same with a questionable walking style to what she may have done before in life. Not quiet sure why he had been so suddenly ordered into the game he reached for his cell phone, and intiated a odd set of numbers as he made a call.
.
"So far I am not seeing any irregularities with the fragments, I'll leave the observation of any oddities in the fragments to the collectors, until I recieve new orders I'll scan the districts, and their guardians," closing the phone it was clear the man had actually left a message rather then called someone. Standing up in his questionable victorian aged clothing he unsheathed his sword before walking away.... and out of sight.

 

[Argenteus]

Courtney caught a glimpse of a man atop the parking lot as she scanned the area; she could only get a dull silhouette (The black sky didn't allow for the clear silhouettes like one could find with a white sky), piercing blue eyes and an object in his hand, drawn from a hollow item he was wearing. It was a... sword? She had a vague idea this was unusual, but she paid it no mind. She returned to staring at the white path ahead. They appeared to be at the bottom of a parking complex with a great many floors. The path ahead was long, and a black fog obscured the path too far ahead. It was seemingly artificially clean, no stray pebble adorned the asphalt. A closer look didn't even find anything in the grass, even stray dirt. This place didn't exist naturally then.

"Did you see that guy on top of the parking lot? With the sword just now?" She said, though he had already left beyond sight. That reminded her of her danger. It would be nice to have a weapon, a gun or something. Even a sword or knife would do. She had a feeling in her gut that whoever - or whatever - brought them there could have nothing but M@lic3 for them. And she heard, in the back of her mind, the sound of screeching static.

 

[Kazem]

Most of the people seemed set on leaving the lot, and since nobody really wants to be left alone somewhere they have no memories or info about, the group moved onward. Well, almost everyone. Shiro was admiring what used to be a sticker, and now what apparently was a new addition to his body, confirming that Kaito wasn't the only one to have especially absorbent skin or a mutated sticker, or something else that would have concerned him more if he was the only one who experienced it. A boy was among those behind the group, volunteering for rear guard, but from what Kaito wasn't really sure, and at the moment, wasn't really worried too much about.

Shiro offered to stay back with the guy, which was both a friendly and bit mysterious action, though Kaito assumed he wasn't much of a distrustful guy, so he shook the doubt away. He heard those in the hallway and further talking, which seemed a bit odd, since the other two didn't seem to adjust their talking at all or notice any of the snippits Kaito was able to catch. Another shake, this time physical, directed his attention to the room, blocking out the voices, which was emptying at quite a fast rate, considering everyone just woke up from a nap who-knows long.

Seeing as Shiro was friendly enough, and the one he actually knew the most through brief conversation, Kaito decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to stick with him. "I'll be glad to go with you two, if that's fine. I'm not really a big crowd kind of person, I think. More of a small group dude. Name's Kaito, what's your label?"

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Every Hit We Take -~

"And your just a sourpuss who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

Blaster rolled his eyes, unaffected by Little Miss Goth's verbal punch as he swung his feet back up on the table. Truth was, he almost liked the little shit head; she played the bitch to his jerk ass so perfectly, he could have gotten along with her if she hadn't been so damn far off her rocker. He liked a little crazy in a girl, but this one was in serious need of a padded room because of how murderous her psychosis was.

"Hey you why you never call... we girls gotta stay together ya know."

Noticing Rika first swat Reins hand off of Mirror's head, then lean in to whisper something to the other girl, Blaster decided that he just couldn't resist a jab of his own at Rika. "Just an FYI, this turns into a girl on girl make out, I'm out of here, meeting be damned. So, before it heads that direction and I lose my lunch, mind getting this show on the road, Silver?"

Temper, dear. You'll get yourself into trouble today yet

Deciding that he did need that cigarette after all Blaster tapped one from the pack before reaching into his other pocket for his lighter. For a moment, his eyes glowed a bright gold as he lit the cigarette; but then they faded back to blue violet as he took a long drag, the nicotine and cloves slowly centering his head and chilling him the hell out.

Fooling yourself, that's all it is; but very well, believe what you wish to. I'll be waiting for you; I'm always waiting for you, my dear...

Blaster was gonna give Silver five minutes to get his ass in gear and get the R.E.M on the horn. After he was done talking, or if he didn't start doing so fast enough, Blaster was so out of there; he could sense the Fragments waking up and starting to leave the safe one. The predator in him was dying for the chance to hunt them, to chase them and wear them down until they welcomed the oblivion of becoming Static, even begged for the finishing blow. As much as he hated the role he was in, this was Blaster's hell, and he was hellbent on making something bearable about it, even if it meant bringing hell down on others.

Hello again, my fri3end5.

About damn time the bastard showed up! Dropping his feet to the floor, Blaster was very careful to keep the hatred roiling under his skin bottled up, not allowing a single drop of it to leak out for the R.E.M to see. He'd already been screwed over once because his temper clashed with this being; he sure as hell wasn't going to screw himself again, not when he was so close to freedom. So, he sat through the presentation that R.E.M liked to show them at the start of each new game; and Blaster kept his face impassive as one particular Fragment's face flicked across the screen. He was intrigued by the vague familiarity, but that could be handled later. And when finally, finally, the R.E.M seemed to be finished, Blaster was out of the room, the faintest scent of nicotine and cloves the only sign that he'd been in the room at all.

~- Psycho's Got a High Kick -~

Cheza wasn't sure how long she sat staring at her name, or even if the name was her's at all; but then, someone voiced a question about stickers, drawing her out of her haze.

Reaching into her pocket, Cheza pulled three stickers out. One seemed to be an explosion of energy on a violet background; was that suppose to be a bullet? Another had a drop of water hitting a small pond, causing ripples to spread out. She felt calmer as she looked at this one, almost rejuvenated, even. There were two long, thin staffs behind the water drop, one black and the other white. Bo staffs? The name popped into her mind, and though the knowledge was a little confusing, the name felt right, so she kept it at that.

The last sticker held her attention the most, however. An enormous black tiger stood in front of a deep red heart, snarling his defiance at any who dared to approach the heart he guarded. Even though Cheza was sure in her uncertainty that she had never seen the sticker before in her life, it still gave her comfort at the same time that a truly bitter hurt clawed at her chest.

After a moment, she couldn't bear to look at the tiger any longer, but neither could she stand to throw the sticker away either. After only a brief consideration, Cheza reached into her shirt, putting the sticker just over her heart. Repeating the procedure with the other two, she placed the energy sticker on her right wrist and the water one on the back of her neck just below her hairline. She was surprised when the one on her wrist seemed to melt into her skin, leaving no trace behind that it had been there in the first place; but if that was true, then why could she still feel it there, like it was waiting just under the surface? She could only assume that the others had done the same. She got over the surprise quickly, though; instinct was kicking in, demanding she accept how strange things were and to expect the crazy to continue and get worse.

Jumping to her feet, Cheza spoke softly, almost too quiet to be heard. "It's likely to be more dangerous out there than if we stayed in this parking lot. But then again..."

A devilish grin spread across her face, suggesting an outside influence on her personality. "Staying where it's 'safe' isn't going to help us either. Let's go!"

Hurrying after the retreating back of the boy and other girls, Cheza's step slowed ever so slightly as she got the sense of someone watching her. Looking up, she could have sworn that a man had been standing on top of the parking structure they had just exited; but there was no one standing there now. Narrowing her eyes briefly, Cheza shook her head before jogging the last few paces to catch up with the others. She could see the girl that was hiding in her hoodie had her eyes trained on the ground; clearly she wasn't comfortable with the fact that they had decided to follow her, but it's not like it was really intentional.

Tucking her hands into her jeans pockets, Cheza kept her arms close against her sides as she looked over at the boy. Her bravado from a moment ago cooling down to a small ember, she asked softly, "This is a completely stupid question, and I know it is, but it has to be asked. Do you have the faintest idea what might be out here? Or are we insane for splitting from what might have been the only safe place to be?"

 

[Hazen Gregory]

Vandiken was becoming more annoyed about how long it was taking for their leader to speak. As it finally started, Van settled back into himself and tried to drone out what R.3.M. was literally saying. The information was going to be absorbed regardless of if he listened to the sound or not. It was no wonder Van was a genius. His mental prowess proved time and time again to bring about some of the most absurd, yet expertly fabricated situations and tactics.

"Oh??" the area was now different. Van didn't recall leaving the negative district at all. Things really must have been boring for his body to simply assume control of all actions whilst Vandiken's conscious relaxed and drifted. Lately this seemed to happen on more frequent instances. Often Van was showed of flash of images he figured had been lost. These memories were plaguing every thought Van seemed to have. He'd never been this rattled before, even in his former state before becoming a collector.

As Van's eyes both finished focusing he was aware of being in the first district. It wouldn't be long before the fragments wandered out into the open. He'd be the first person they all saw upon moving forward out of the parking lot. For now his reason was only to ascertain an idea of how this batch was different from the last game. "Time to play."

From both hands, Vandiken projected a flash of red luminous from his palms. It flared outward in a bright expansion of red energy that fanned out over the street, turning toward the entrance leading further onto the street he was on. It hardened and formed as sheen that looked like an odd translucent glass that spanned perfectly across one side the street to another. It was around thirty feet high, making so that the wall couldn't simply be jumped over. "Hahahaha. Fun." If they were to play games there would most definitively and certainly be tests and obstacles at every turn.

 

[Ðari]

Lifting his firm touch from Mirror's head. The R.3.M left them all with a bit of himself, a blessing if you will to enact the next stage. As the fragments had now awoken, this game had started. The lazy and somewhat lax teen scratched his neck, this would feasibly allow him to drag his feet as he always did. One thing they had to do at some point was to cross the boundaries and enter the next district. Collector's for the sake of passing between districts, were all branded with a sticker that served only as the purpose of a "key" so to speak to enable this.

Rien kicked the dirt, and winced when he passed Irukandji. The pseudo-breeze Rien created when he walked passed him, a nostaligic feeling of familiarity was felt for a brief instant. Moving to exit the hall, the collector walked over a pitfall as a fast exit. This would lead him into the first district available to the fragments, there mischief would ensue. As he fell into freefall, he held up his arm and his official collector's sticker, as if shattering a bridge he fell out of the sky.

"Dropping like...A ROCK!!!" he shouted, as this place was a lot more illuminated. The light in the district was pretty evident, and it was far more welcoming than the Negative District's darkness and shadows. He fluttered frantically, looking for an emergency break to stop his fall. He spotted one of those poles that jutted out from buildings, and had the means to aim for it.

This was a lot harder than it looked, but he did it the wrong way. As he dropped down, the bar hit in directly in between his pants and he just sat there holding himself in place. The reaction stalled for as long as he could, before he slid off dropping into an alley 8yd dumpster. He slipped into a lower state of consciousness as he could hear the sounds of kids younger than him nearby. His nads were throbbing as he rolled on top of black garbage bags, finally releasing that delayed reaction.

"SWEET MOTHER OF MEMORY, FORGET ME, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

His voice bounced off the walls of the narrow alleyway. As he twitched for a couple minutes, his head peaked out of the dumpster rather nervously as he peered directly ahead. At this point he didn't even notice the odor anymore and tried to keep a low profile as he remained hidden while watching the younger teens.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Where The City Sleeps... -~

Sync sensed the tension that was building in the air, fidgeting uncomfortably, he glanced over to see what Raz was doing. Catching a glimpse of Mirror flipping Blaster the bird, he heard the quiet "Jerkass, I hope he loses the bet with R.E.M" that slipped free from the pale girl. Rolling his eyes, Sync adjusted how he was standing and got a snarky comment ready to fly when the REM decided to appear over the TVs and start talking. Hello again, my fri3end5.

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, he saw how fast Blaster's entire stance changed. So, the rumors are true, he reins in the bad attitude around the brass. he mused to himself, listening as the R.E.M talked away, he felt confusion stir as the scent of nicotine and cloves reached him. Wrinkling his nose, Sync raised his hand to cover his nose and attempt to block even more of the scent from getting to him. After the R.E.M was finished talking, the screens went back to normal, returning the room to relative silence. He exhaled in relief as Blaster hopped to his feet and fled from the room, the smell of the cigarettes fleeing with him.

Shaking his head, Sync glanced back around the room to see if anyone else had clue of what they could do. It was only then that he noticed that Mirror had turned to address Rika. "Thanks for the help, I don't see how that thing ever made it through his week." Drifting closer out of curiosity, Sync listened in as Mirror added, "Hey, let's play a game Rika, the one to erase the most Fragments through the week gets treated to their favorite snack at the end of each day!"

Stopping a few feet from them, Sync tilted his head to the side, contemplating what Mirror had just said. It sounded like it was a long standing thing between the two co-workers, almost like they did it every game. He could tell from a quick glance that neither one of them liked each other beyond just friends, if they were even that. Shaking his head again, Sync turned around and hastily made his way toward the door. Pushing it open, he stepped outside of the room and headed toward the exit of the building so he could work on getting this game over with. Here's hoping the first game isn't going to be too hard, he muttered in his mind.

~- Now the Dark Begins to Rise -~

After checking things out, Siam ran after the retreating backs of the ones leaving the parking lot first. Slowing down to a walk, she didn't try to participate in the conversation. Instead, her eyes drifted over her surroundings, taking in what was around her so they didn't get caught off guard. Feeling eyes on her back, she spun around and felt her hand fly up to her left arm, but after a few moments the feeling faded like light smoke in the air. She shook her head and turned back around, seeing that she'd fallen behind the others, Siam squeaked slightly and ran to catch up to them.

She heard the faintest sound of static crackling in the air, but worried about getting in trouble while she was by herself. Something tugged at her awareness, but what it was she couldn't put her finger on it. Instead of letting it bother her, Siam mentally shook her head to dislodge the impulse. Siam saw something ahead of her and slowed her pace to a leisurely walk, catching up to the rest of them, she looked up as it dashed in front of the group's path. Narrowing her eyes to slits, she shook her head to dispel the pain that went along with the action before she let her eyes relax again.

Siam couldn't help but feel like they'd walked right into a trap. And that they'd left the only area that could grant them safety.

~- I Ain't Trippin' -~

Anna listened to the conversation, upon hearing the bit about the stickers, she searched her pockets for anything out of place. Fingers curling around a jagged-like outline, she pulled it out and looked at the picture on the sticker. It was a folded fan, a purple circle visible to her. Placing it on the back of her left hand, she felt it fade into her skin; searching a little farther she found another sticker that sent a brief flash of surprise through her. Thinking of where would be the fast way to reach it in an emergency, she shrugged her shoulders and placed the sticker on her upper, right arm. This time she didn't even think anything of it as the sticker faded out of sight, merging with her body.

She heard two girls go sprinting after the others, but she didn't try to go after them. Instead, she looked around herself, trying to figure out how many more people were present in the immediate area. Cautiously making her way over to the one that had offered to stay behind, Anna frowned softly at the thought of something more dangerous waiting beyond this safe zone's reach. She knew for a fact she didn't mind danger, but for some reason she didn't like the idea of the others being put in danger. Shaking her head to dismiss the thought, she glanced around her and made out that there was more than she'd originally thought had stayed behind.

Doing a mental run through the different voices, she shrugged her shoulders delicately and asked nonchalantly, "You guys ready to get going? 'Cause I'm ready, but I don't think we should travel in anything less than groups of two...humans." She added the last bit to clarify that, while she didn't mind the dog, she also didn't think it'd be wise for someone to travel by themselves. Sensing something just outside of the area, Anna felt her hair stand slightly on end until the presence faded, only to be replaced by something, or someone, else. "We need to get going, they've probably just walked into a trap."

Hearing the faint sound of growling, Aliviana felt her muscles start to tense as the dog standing next to her started to growl. Moving closer to the others, she said quickly, "We definitely need to get moving, so which way are we slipping outside?" She nodded silently to a secondary path, one that would lead them away from the other players and force them to work by themselves.

~- Creep Up Inside You and Consume You -~

Mirror watched while Sync retreated from the room, glancing at Rika again, she turned to face her coworker fully. "Ready to get to work? The Fragmented are moving around now, it'd be fun to see who can rack up the most points the fastest, don't you think?" She turned on her heel and started to head for the door, throwing a look at Silver, the girl rolled her eyes before she walked out the door. She didn't have a doubt in her mind that Rika would follow, she even kind of hoped that the other girl did. After all, Rika did have a major point, girls had to stick together to survive when all they had were male coworkers.

She heard the faintest reeve of an engine, and she didn't doubt that it was Blaster on his bike. She wasn't interested in which way Sync had gotten of to, it wasn't any of her business. "Huh, I wonder how long until the boy loses control?" She asked no one in particular, a faint smile spreading across her face at the thought of everyone saying there was only "one crazy" in the group. Shaking her head, she stopped and waited patiently for several moments, searching for anything even vaguely out of place.

After coming to the conclusion that there was nothing, she continued along her way, humming a cheerful melody as she stepped through a special doorway, depositing her near the safe zone for the Fragments, but on the other side of where the other group of kids had wandered off in. Looking down at the group gathered, she smiled sweetly as her eyes fell on one in particular.

I wonder how they'll take it when the truth is revealed, she thought to herself.

This Game was going to prove to be interesting indeed.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Zero to Sixty -~

Blaster's feet had barely hit the pavement outside of the Collectors favorite meeting place haunt before his fingers started running over the back of his right hand and the sticker that had long since sunk into his skin. He felt the power thrum through him, a low rumbling as he poured energy into the summoning. After a moment, a sleek black bike stood in front of him, incredible speed just a second away. All he needed to do was step off the curb.

"Should have known you'd be out here. Why'd you hightail it so fast?"

Swinging his leg over the bike, Blaster didn't turn to look at Sync until he'd turned the engine over and felt the bike come to life with a smooth, velvet rumble. "The real question is why I stayed so damned long. Hurry your ass up and climb on; the Fragments are up and it's time for us to get our asses to work and earn our keep."

Sync gave him a distrustful look; but he still slid on behind Blaster. Sync had barely taken his seat before he grabbed a handful of Blaster's jacket; good, the kid had some common sense and a sense of self preservation to boot.

Are you sure we won't get in trouble?

With Rhys? Nah. Besides, he's already showed me how to drive it.

Blaster gunned the engine, drowning out his thoughts as he peeled away from the curb, tires squealing and engine roaring. He felt Sync tighten his hold on his coat, an almost shocked squeak escaping the younger teen at just how damned fast they'd gone from a stand still to speed limit and further. And yet, even with his less than willing passenger, the same ghost seemed to haunt him that followed Blaster anytime he went anywhere on the bike. Phantom arms, slim and soft, wrapped around his waist, a cheek pressed into his shoulder and a smile hidden in his back. It seemed that, no matter what he did, he couldn't shake that sensation, and it leached the fun of the ride right out of it.

Oh, but you know what that feeling is, don't you? Oh, what could it be...

"Shut up, bitch. I don't need you screwing with my game." The words were barely a hissed whisper, but it still pissed him off. Great, now the damn thing had him talking to himself out loud, making it even harder for him to maintain his questionable credit with the rest. Revving the engine again, Blaster put on an extra burst of speed, causing Sync to yell at Blaster about his lack of sanity.

Not like Blaster really gave a damn.

Reaching District Zero a short time later, Blaster let Sync jump off as he stood at a much slower pace. Calling the bike back into the sticker again, Blaster turned to the younger Collector and started talking. "Okay, mission time. It looks like at least half of the Fragments have cleared out of the Safe Zone; but we'll let Vandiken and Rien take care of those ones. Our job is to flush the rest of them out, preferably in the opposite direction of the first group. So, you're gonna take up position on the other side, and I'll drive them toward you. Since you're the fresh meat, you get to sit the first part of the mission out, but don't think that's a free pass to screw around; you're suppose to pay attention and learn what the hell you're doing, got it? I'm not repeating this to you; you don't get it now, you're on your own, Shorty. So, any questions?"

Sync gave Blaster a look that said he was mental, but the kid just shook his head and shot off for his position. Turning around, Blaster made sure that the passage that the first group had traveled down was sealed before he slipped into the shadows, his eyes glowing a bright golden yellow as he allowed a small trickle of the Rage into his system. Okay, bitch, you want a little fun? Here's the most minuscule, microscopic taste for you.

He growled, a low, rumbling sound that sounded like nothing a human being could make. Instead, it seemed more like the growl of a tiger on the prowl, hungry and on the hunt. It was a favorite trick of Blaster's, one that never got old and that worked every time to not only drive the Fragments out of the Safe Zone, but to also give him a quick assessment of which ones were worth his interest in pursing.

Let the hunt begin.

 

[Argenteus]

Imagine this post doesn't exist.

 

[Endless Warrior Sora]

Of course, he had planned for this. The Harbringers had made their way to District Zero, taunting and threatening the Fragmented into leaving their safe zone. Blaster's gutteral growl never failed to send its victims running for safety and this situation was no different. However, nothing would get done if everyone stayed here. Why not let the games begin? As far as he could tell there were two groups, the ones who had left the parking lot area of District Zero and those who straggled behind.

Things were about to get interesting.

Vandiken's red luminous barrier had prevented the ones who had left from returning to the parking lot and the ones in the parking lot from leaving. Thus this left Siam, Cheza, Kit, Deejay, Jack, and Courtney at the mercy of whatever Vandiken was planning. The ground directly in front of the teenagers gale of a monochromatic glow as a large flat screen television had arisen from the ground seperating Vandiken and the Fragmented. Ear piercing Static filled the area for a few moments, before the enigmatic face of R.E.M. had appeared on the screen.

"H3ll0, fri3nds. You are currently inside of a realm where my fri3nds cannot effectively carry out their jobs. Would you like to see the city?" The garbled voiced echoed through the screen. Back inside the parking lot where Anna, Shiro, Kaito, and Kael had stayed behind the same phenomenon happened as R.E.M. was effectively communicating with both groups of Fragmented. Static tendrils had emerged from both televisions, appearing liquid like, yet solid in composition, and wrapped around the respective Fragments, pulling them into the televisions.

By the time the Fragments awoke, both groups would find themselves on opposite sides of District 1. Rules are no more. Now it was kill or be killed. He couldn't wait to see how this would play out.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiro saw a tint of red from the corner of his eye and suddenly the way to the others was seemingly blocked.

"No!" The boy cried running to the barrier and putting a palm to the red luminous. Seething, he withdrew his hand as the red substance burned to touch. Shaking his hand violently, the clenched his jaw.

"Damn...what now?" He said, holding his palm with his other hand. Suddenly, a...television? Too many weird things were happening. But there it was, a television growing out of the floor and appearing before him, Anna, Kaito, and Kael. A figure appeared on the screen calling him 'friend'. A tendril grabbed the boy's torso and pulled him in. It was all so quick, only flashes of black and white had rushed through his eyes before he found himself on the floor or a darkened room. Something vibrated in his pocket.

 

[Argenteus]

As a TV emerged from the ground, Courtney took a brief, controlled step backward.. Cautiously, she gave a look behind her, but found the path had been sealed off: A clearly visible but transparent barrier had been erected in front of them as well. This, to her, was a clear sign of their hunters' impatience with their slow progress.

As their fri3nd spoke, she began to black out. The sound of screeching static filled the back of her head, and streaks of black, white, and shades of gray began to obscure her vision. She felt like she was being dragged downward through the earth. No! I must... FIGHT! I... Must... Stay... Awa...ke... I... Must... not... fall... I must not... fall... as..l...eep... she thought to herself, before she greyed out into the static.

---

Courtney woke up, an indeterminate amount of time later, in part of a museum. Gadgets, some semi-modern but most obsolete, lined the halls. She saw the largest exhibit, a space ship. It was made of cheap plastic, however, and had clearly been made just for this exhibit. But it was, she would assume, at least an accurate representation.

She felt a buzzing in her pocket. She reached in, but found no phone. Feeling around a bit, she realized her iPod shuffle was vibrating. They didn't do that. She took it out and put it on, and found that a distorted voice was speaking out of it. Telling her where to go next. She needed to reach the top of a hotel, she was currently at the technology section of the Enix museum. Challenge accepted. The voice said a map was attached, but that was impossible. The iPod shuffle had no screen. Well, she would have to make do.

 

[Kazem]

First, there was red. Then a tv, a really, REALLY big one. Then...a squid? Octopus? No, that can't be right. I think it was the tv. It had... tentacles? Tendrils? Whichever one they were, they were fast. And string. Odd, killer tvs. Am I dead yet? I'm breathing. I can feel my toes, and it doesn't feel like stomach acids are slowly, or quickly, dissolving my body. I'd say that's pretty much not dead right there. What came after the tv attack? Something I didn't like... falling. It was falling. Not just falling, but this flashing of white and gray, over and over again, repea-

I hate that word. Repeating. Repeat. Why do I hate it? It's not like I don't repeat things. But I hate it. With a passion, why? Is... is that me? I'm so little. Stomping my foot, my face feeling twisted and tight. My mouth is wide open, screaming. "I dun wanna!", over and over again. Wait, no, I couldn't have done it that much. Stop. You can stop now. No, stop! Stop it, listen to me! It never happened like that! This is my memory! Listen to me, dammit, I said STOP!

STOP!

"STOP!"

Kaito's voice rang loud and clear, bigger than what would be possible to come from a normal human. His eyes opened wide, heart beating fast, fist clenched tight. A number of things could be heard in the arcade. The echo of his voice, the swarm of music coming from the machines around them, and the rustling of clothes and some steps. A turn of the head had Kaito looking at the group left behind the others, some standing and others still getting there. A tingling was suddenly made noticeable to him, and when he looked down at the rest of his body, he saw the oddest thing. It was tiny, and not very bright at all, but there was a faint glow coming from his hands and the area below his nose. The sensation had Kaito shiver and pinch himself to make sure it wasn't a dream.

He happened to pinch where his sticker had been placed on, and shortly after sunken into, his skin, making the glow fade away, and the tingling sensation to stop. Well, almost. His right leg was still shaking, but it wasn't because of the strange glow. Kaito dug into his pocket to find what he presumed was his phone, which just so happened to have received a new message. Reading through it, his expression hardened into a serious one. He waited for everyone to read the message and think about it for a second before he addressed the other three there. "I don't like this guy, I don't like this situation, and I don't like the fact he's 'helping' us get the memories he stole from us in the first place. I say to screw his suggested route and find our own way to the hotel. This obviously isn't a normal place, where we all lose our memories, have melting stickers, and are attacked by giant televisions.

We aren't alone though, we have the lovely beast that growled at us before the tv came along, if that wasn't the tv itself. So we're stuck here, with almost no memories, stickers in our skin, and are expected to play what sounds like a scavenger hunt to get our memories back, and maybe get the hell out of here. Oh, and there's the freaky glowing and tingling sensation too, which is something I'm having serious issues about understanding." There was a brief pause in which Kaito took a deep breath, relaxing his tense shoulders and calming some of the anger swelling up inside. "That's my take on this whole mess, at least. Anyone have anything to add, or can we just get this over with?"

A thought popped into Kaito's head that made him sigh again, rubbing the bridge of his nose from the headache he received from it. If they ask for me to repeat that, I might lose it. Just go bonkers, insane. I'm already having a monologue with myself in my head, that's always a sign. Lovely. Just absolutely peachy.

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

"Hard to say whats out here.... everything seems to by black and white here, and I am pretty sure even without my memories thats not natural," Jack chuckled calmly without a care in the world. He wasn't trying to be brave or even impressive he was just doing what he felt was , and that was to keep his cool to help the others keep theirs.... though he highly doubted miss demanding ahead of them was one to follow example.

"Though my gut tells me staying there... wasn't such a great idea.. especially since we were left there by HOLY FLAMES," Jack yelled as they were all trapped in some sort of flame based walling. Well one things for sure... that wasnt natural or shouldnt have been probable. It was then Jack heard someone laughing... was somebody controlling this insanity? Better yet where was this insanity coming from. And just as things couldn't seem to get anymore out of control a giant screen with a static filled voice appear unleashing what seemed to be... tentacles.

"Alright anyone else seeing this or am i going crazy... wow," Jack avoided the first tendril that came after him by weaving to the right... only problem the tendril that was out to get him caught the girl he was talking to. Immediately in response Jack grabbed at the tendril trying to free Cheza from its grip. Sadely.... such a effort proved useless as the tendril easily started to pull away dragging both teens with it into the tv screen.... silence..... just serene filled silence...., and then there was the cold embracing ground. He was about to catch himself when a strange moment of blacking out happen.

"You promise you'll make it back in time right......"


"Gah," the memory was halted before a visual could form as he hit the cold ground.... ironically. As he slowly pushed himself up he looked around the area.... great he was back inside a building. As he walked over to the window his eyes went wide..... oh....... damn...... he was definitely back inside a building yet this time
he was a good few stories up. Turning away from the window he noticed he wasn't alone.... ah that girl from earlier..... that he had epicly failed to save. A sudden ringtone in his pockets brought his attention to the unknown cell phone.... pulling out the dark orange casio boulder phone he opened it up and read the email. Completely confused as he deciphered the message he clicked on the map option.... so he was currently in the curators office of a museum.

"..... Well atleast I am not alone you all right?"
.......,.....................................................

"What the fuuuuuu," in a very ninja like fashion Rika had appeared behind Mirror just in time to see R.E.M pull off the most dick move imaginable. Just as the first patch of toys exited the toy box the parent of all took them away before the children could even play..... the look alone would tell Mirror her partner was not at all okay with what had just happened. In fact the look on Rika's face wss quiet blank as she reached into her pocket for the ringing phone..... after reading the message on the purple flip phone Rika calmly close it.... before eruptly shoving both phone and fist through the wall of the building her and Mirror were next to.

"Someone thinks there cute," Rika growled as a look of pure rage was fought back in the form of small twitches all ovef her facial figure. Looking over at Mirror for a second she seemed to catch the fact from the silent girl that now wasnt the time to go unleashing her new pent up rage from the bullshit that had just been played out in front of them.

"Fine... asshole wants to play that way... we'll play that.... besides it isn't fun if we all take them out at once.... i like to enjoy my prey with smaller number," Rika said returning her twisted smile to Mirror as she let out a small giggle before grabbing Mirrors left hand and dragging her away.

"The museum is closes."
.....................................................................

"Still quiet the one with the games.... R.E.M even with you own collectors," Ren chuckled as he read his message from the higher until a certain piece of the message caught his attention.... the name of the apparent anomly. That could'nt be correct no.... he must be over thinking it.... then again.... he should have ran into her by now.... no work had begone before he had arrived... she was probable busy.

".... just a coincidence," Ren had a strange feeling in his stomach. Was R.E.M changing up the game... was this some sort of joke....or had he found out.... no Ren would've known if that was the case. Besides "she" could defend herself even if somesort of oddity had appeared.

"Besides the mission first.... always..... dammit," Ren had started to walk over to the museum yet his instict was screaming to him to head toward the Arcade.... it had been one of "her favorite placs to meet... would it hurt to go.... no it was a mission location. Lightly tricking himself Ren opened his eyes to a pathway.... no a world made of pure static. Without anything left to hold his thoughts over the swordsman started to head over to the projected target.

 

[Endless Warrior Sora]

Silver laughed quite loudly and obnoxiously at the current unfolding of events.

"Ohmygod, did any one diddlying SEE that?! They totally thought they were gonna liberate those Fragmented ad then...KA-CHEW! R.E.M. to the rescue!" The man held his forehead with one hand while holding his hip with another. This seemed to be the funniest thing in the world to him. He was speaking to those remaining in the Negative District but he was mostly speaking to himself. He laughed some more before continuing. "Oh badness. Vandiken and Blaster were 65 trillion percent positive they were gonna get some kills! Aaaaaah..." He calmed, but mostly because his laughter was interrupted by that of a vibrating cell phone. His own. Pulling out an archaic looking Cingular flip phone he flipped it upward.

"Nothing like the classics guys." He announced to the room before looking at the message and grinning at the contents. It was from R.E.M. and he was sure the others had received a similar message. He pondered where the others were going to go, he didn't know whether they would heed R.E.M.'s instructions or not, but it looked as if the Collectors were doing that just on instinct anyway. Folding his hands behind his head he took strides toward the exit hall. Fumbling through his pockets for his Collector's Sticker, he flashed it at the black wall that gave the veiwer a veiw of Enix City, also marking the end of the hallway. The one Rien had just passed.

"District 1, pretty please with plums on top. A little ways from The Enix Museum of Space and Tech too if ya can." He said as a pitfall opened beneath him, allowing him to freefall before making a landing on a roof top near the museum. "Now...I don't wanna attack yet. But hows about I give em a little wake up call. A little reminder they should be looking for a way out."

Grabbing a handful of rock pebbles from the rooftop, and changing the matter into three tennis ball shaped grenades. Throwing them consecutively at the roof of the museum, they exploded on impact. The buidling wasn't damaged, however it should shake a bit, startling the unfortunate teenagers in there. He grinned. Oh, how fun this would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost scary. Who was this R.E.M. guy? How did he get his number? Why did he rescue them? Nothing was making sense or adding up. Shiro grimaced, and twisted his mouth, an obvious tint of confusion spread across his face. Shiro stood, reading and rereading the text message over and over again. This guy sure needed some texting lessons. How did he expect anyone to read that? He felt like replying with that but he was afraid he might get struck by lighting or his phone would explode or something.

"I don't like this guy, I don't like this situation, and I don't like the fact he's 'helping' us get the memories he stole from us in the first place. I say to screw his suggested route and find our own way to the hotel. This obviously isn't a normal place, where we all lose our memories, have melting stickers, and are attacked by giant televisions. We aren't alone though, we have the lovely beast that growled at us before the tv came along, if that wasn't the tv itself. So we're stuck here, with almost no memories, stickers in our skin, and are expected to play what sounds like a scavenger hunt to get our memories back, and maybe get the hell out of here. Oh, and there's the freaky glowing and tingling sensation too, which is something I'm having serious issues about understanding."

Kaito's tone and attitude was definitely justified. He was just as confused as everyone else. He seemed pretty mad about it too, his small sililoquy filled with sarcasm and irritation. He mentioned the stickers and Shiro glanced at where he placed his own.

"That's my take on this whole mess, at least. Anyone have anything to add, or can we just get this over with?"

[Music start...HERE!]

"Nope, I think we should just get to the hotel. First we need to find a way out of this arcade...place. Should be easy enough right?"

Shiro forgot to take note of their location. According to the text message it was called the Arcane Arcade. The lighting in the room was extremely low and there were so many sounds going on he couldn't decipher any of them. It was a little overwhelming. There were loud popping noises and grinding type noises? All of the screens were bright and flashing, different from the screen that had brought them here, that's for sure. There were kids in front of the machines, looking very engrossed in whatever it was they were doing. Some became happy, some became angry at their results and shouted. Shiro raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what this place was...but he kinda liked it. He scanned the immediate area he was in. The room was dark here too, except there was no one but the four...five of them. Including the dog. There were benches and glowing vest like things on the walls. A neon sign read "LAZER TAG" but no one was here to play. However it seemed pretty far back from the entrance, which wasn't even in sight yet. The room they were all in was completely seperate from the room the other kids were in.

The screens began to fluxuate however and turn to static. The small grainy noise of static began to fill the air as the multitude of screens in the area began to shift to that of static. The kids in front of the game devices didnt seem to notice though, oddly enough. Creatures began to creep and crawl through the screens, almost as if they were melting out and taking form from the static. They appeared beastlike in appearance looking like literal moving static and producing that awful sound. Shiro covered his ears as the creatures touched the ground and began to make their way toward the group, moving straight through the glass doors seperating the room they were in from the arcade room.

Shiro took some steps back as he saw the creatures close in to get..seemingly them.

"Uh...guys? I don't mean to alert anyone...but I don't think those things necessarily want to be our friends..."

 

[Mason Stark]

While the others pique up and chat around her, Kit is just... there, hands in her pockets and left to herself. Well, what was she supposed to say? She was just no good at conversations! Even if she wanted to speak up, she couldn't bring herself to; it was as if her vocal cords froze up and left her speechless.

SLAM!

Whirling around, the girl went stumbling back, staring up at the sight left behind them. As they distanced themselves away, something happened: a bright red wall of flames blocked the entrance and exit of that parking lot. Trapped inside were the others and Kit jumped, taking a step forward! Someone had to save them! Get them out of there or just do something, but Kit stopped herself.

'Well... why do I care?' she told herself. She didn't know them, they weren't her friends, so why should she care? They could take care of themselves.

H3ll0, fri3nds. You are currently inside of a realm where my fri3nds cannot effectively carry out their jobs. Would you like to see the city?

Kit froze. What the... Turning, she glanced back over her shoulder and saw the strangest sight: an enormous TV screen that seemed to have just sprouted out of the ground, blocking the way out of the alleyway. The screen was filled with static and, other than being ear-shattering, it wasn't interesting. It wasn't until that voice droned in that things got interesting... and terrifying.

"Ah!" Kit's voice squeaked, staring up at the screen. Strange tendrils, silver and laced with silver, crawled their ways out of the screen and headed towards a target: them. Kit went with her instincts -- to run. But, when she dashed away, leaving the rest of the group behind, she merely fell into the trap.

"No!!" she screamed, squirming in the grip of the tendril. She kicked her feet, fought to get away, but nothing worked. Her arms begun to grow numb, as if static-laced themselves, and the world grew dark. The static rung in her ears, her eyelids started to fall, and her actions grew slower...

'no... i can't... can't go to sleep... yet...'

The world grew numb and dark. It disappeared. Gone.

----------------------

shhhhhhzzzzzzzzzhhhhhmmmmom! You promised... You said you were going to come this time, but you never keep your stupid promisessssshhhhhhhhzzzzzzz

----------------------

"Nngh..."

A repetitive buzzing noise came over and over, flooding her ears all while sounding distant and far off. Sprawled out across the floor, the sensation of the rough flooring begun to flood into her fingertips, feeling rushing back through her arms.

Kit sat up, hunching over as she sat aimlessly on the ground. Her vision was still dark, hazy, but she kept glancing around.

What the...

"shzzzzzzzzhhhhhhhsssssssss"

'Dammit, just shut up already...'

A buzzing came from her pocket and, with a grumble and a rub on her eye, she whipped out her Android phone as it buzzed and flashed. Placing one of the earbuds in her ear, she narrowed her eyes and listened close.

A voice rang in her ears, leaving behind a message. A mission? What, was this supposed to be the Reapers' Game or something? (Oh wait, she's not supposed to know about that stuff! Oops. Welp, have some fourth wall breaking then.) The message was that she was tasked with going to the "The Enix Hotel," or whatever it was. But how was she supposed to get there?!

Her phone buzzed.

A map lit up on screen, showing the location of the hotel and herself as separate, flashing dots. From what she could tell, between the text message and the map, she was in some sort of museum now.

Oh, how convenient. Glancing around, Kit wrapped the arms of her hoodie back around her waist as she saw the others were collapsed on the ground, too. Only one -- Jack -- was awake, but she didn't care. Keeping a tight grip on her phone, she hopped to her feet and took off running in the direction of the hotel, searching for an exit out of this stupid museum.

 

[Ðari]

Once Rien had finally came to grips with that pain that wrung between his legs. Faint pants left as he climbed and fell out of the dumpster he'd fallen into. Leaning against as he proceeded to only sag lower and lower to the floor, he checked his phone.

1 new message.

Smelling something like hamburger meat he rolled his eyes and sighed as he then proceeded to read the messages from R.3.M himself. Carefully deciphering his "1337", Rien had gotten the picture clearly enough. This was going to be a pain, he wasn't lax without an accordion to hold a tune to, so against his preference it felt like the high road to check out the Enix Museum of Space and Technology. A boring place for a boring guy, it only made sense and drew him in.

"Looks like this game is officially in session. Glorious." he said sarcastically as he rubbed his neck feeling it was a nuisance.

The collector could see the building from the alley that he'd fallen into, when breaking into the first district from the negative one. He'd forgotten if they didn't take the normal exit, they'd just drop dangerously into the next district. He twitched his legs to make sure he didn't loose any valuable parts before providing an insane expression of disturb. Tightening his fist, he darted and zipped out of the alley and quickly took a spring to his step, using his fans as a spring board to catapult himself like a trampolined jump. His air time allowed him to sprout flat wing shaped triangle fan blades under his person to para-glide across the district like a bird.

Seeing the museum up close was a cool thing and even the slacker had to admit this was pretty awesome. Detaching the blades from under him, he dropped close to the ground, and his fans in some insane manner stabbed him all the same time. It looked insane if you were a spectator, but it was like he was absorbing the excess back into the sticker and all pretty painless to say the least.

"I hope I don't offend the targets with my recent spill into a garbage can...we don't talk about that." he muttered to himself as he wandered into the museum.

The doors opened up wide enough, if you were in the room you could certainly tell it was the exit. He took a powerful stance at the door, and it close behind him, a giant piece of lumber seemed to lock it in place. Barrier, yeah Rien loved to game the fragments as mean to stimulate his work. They'd come to him, though as he cracked his neck and rotated his arm in circles, doing odd stretches he was ready to get this done, it was time to have to have some fun.

 

[Rhapsody]

Most… peculiar events occurred within the shortest time. And the sudden wall of red that separated the group was just the beginning of the strange occurrences. A televsion. Enormous in size, sprang from the ground. Now, usually not one to drop her jaw in surprise, what else could the teen do but stare stupidly at the static-filled screen as the enigmatic voice taunted them so. With their memories, offering them a chance to reclaim their most precious prize… No. This was bull. How stupid could the enemy be if that was the case? Steal their memories, then offer them up? Seriously, this was a load of–

Oh. Well, no, that wasn’t normal. Luminous tendrils sprang from the television screen then. Crap, crap, crap! No, definitely not normal! Flicking her gaze to the side, the teen made to scram, made to leave this place but–Stop. She froze in place, eyes wide, mouth agape in a mute gasp. Why? Why did she stop? Stupid!

Snatched. The tendrils took her then, and the young teen was powerless to stop it. Powerless to even fight back. She merely allowed them to swallow her, allowed the black to consume her. Damn, this was the worse.



Then, a buzz. In her pocket. Wait, her phone? She willed her eyes open, not knowing she had closed them, and found herself in yet another destination. A… museum? Seemed like it. Gidgets and gadgets here and there, lining the walls and floors in clear glass containers.

Great. Just how the hell did she get here? And just… just how long had she been asleep? Moreover, exactly when did she succumb to slumber? The last thing she remembered was… D.J. groaned, pressing her fingers to her face as she rose to a shaky stand. It all came back to her: The television, the static, the tendrils… A memory. No doubt about it. Her memories. Just a smidgen of it, like a short clip from a movie before the frames melted before her, as if the reel was being burned away. Hell, she couldn't even clearly remember exactly what the memory was about.

Just that. Yes, indeed.

A memory… And more, should she accept the challenge offered to her via phone. She listened to the voice carefully, then clapped her phone closed. Right. Head to the Enix Hotel. To the side she saw girl… a most familiar girl. Ah, right. The girl from earlier. Just where was she off to, though? Another character was in the museum with them; they oughta stick together, yeah?

Kicking up her wheels, she easily caught up with the squirt, rolling beside her.

“Oi, d’you even know where ya goin’?” Seemed pretty counterproductive to just run any which way without a clear plan… Granted, they had maps on their phone to lead the way, but it seemed much more sensible to stay together, right?


((ooc: crapcrapcrap. 8c))