[OPEN] Prick your fingers, it is done, the moon has now eclipsed the sun

[manufactured]

WHO: Albert Wesker (eventually) and whomever decides to join him (presumably you!)
WHERE: Dreamscapes.
WHEN: Slightly backdated to 8/24.
WHAT: Dreamdiving.
WARNINGS: Medical experimentation, brainwashing, child abuse, violence, body horror, depictions of self-harm, a general blanket warning that Wesker has been through Some Shit and as such this is probably going to suck on several levels.

[It's cold.

It isn't the familiar drop in temperature that might come from the weather, but a sterile, artificial chill, the sort associated with medical work - hospitals and laboratories and other places that bring with them a sharp, chemical smell and an unpleasant sense that you don't really want to be there.

Of course, the metal table against your back probably isn't doing much to keep you warm, either.

Trying to sit up will be a bit of a problem, given the heavy restraints locked around your wrists and ankles, your hips and your upper body; they're a combination of metal and leather, old-fashioned and imposing, clearly designed to restrain something very, very powerful, and they're keeping you from going very far. You can look around enough to tell that where you are is...probably not somewhere you want to stay for long - it is, in fact, a laboratory of some sort, full of instruments and vials and jars of things that don't look very nice, the metal walls giving way somewhere just on the edges of your line of sight, turning into something else - a sort of open entrance to what looks like a cave of some sort. Either way, it'll probably take you somewhere that isn't here if you follow it. Tipping your head back will show another potential exit to the area - a metal door in the wall near all the instruments and materials.

Of course, you can't really utilize either route if you're bound down, now, can you? You should probably work on figuring out what you're going to do about that, first.]

Comments

[manufactured]

[There aren't. One entrance, one exit. Are you done looking around, or are you going to check the other side of the room?]

[scythegun]

[So maybe they went in the direction of that glowing orange light...

Well, there's no sense in rushing out of here without checking the other side of the room. He's worried about Wesker, certainly, but if whatever did that to him is still around then Jaeger's probably not going to be able to do much to it, so! Let's go check out the other side of the room while he tries really goddamn hard not to panic, sure.]

[manufactured]

[Thankfully, there is not more blood over here, nor are there more shattered remnants of your boyfriend's belongings. Some of the machines look a little out of place, almost like they were knocked aside by something or someone making impact with them, but whatever happened there doesn't seem to have drawn blood. Some sort of scuffle, sure, but nothing that turned overly violent. Probably.

That said, there's something on the ground near the machines that looks a bit out of place.]

[scythegun]

[Well that's... strange. He was expecting more blood...

Well, there's a thing here! What is the thing?]

[manufactured]

[You got a card key! That will probably be important later.

...Welcome to Resident Evil.]

[scythegun]

[oh god fucking dammit this better not lead to a stupid puzzle—

Card key obtained! Is there anything noteworthy about it? He'll pocket it after he's done looking at it and he'll head back out the way he came - is there anything to note on the way toward the other hallway?]

[manufactured]

[It's black, and it has the Umbrella logo on it, but it doesn't seem to be otherwise special.

That said, as you enter the hallway from this room, you'll notice something strange almost immediately - the lights burst on to their full strength, as opposed to looking like they're going to give out at any moment. Like someone turned a generator or other power source on, maybe.]

[scythegun]

[Ah, great. That's not alarming at all!! This is fine.

Is there anyone around? Can he hear anything if he just stands and listens for a moment? If not, he'll proceed back toward the hallway, but it's worth checking.]

[manufactured]

[It sounds like the power may have been restored in some way to large parts of the building - the ventilators seem to be working better, there's some generalized ambient noise as opposed to the silence from earlier... It seems the building's more or less functioning again, for better or worse.

Still heading toward that bend in the wall and the orange glow beyond it?]

[scythegun]

[Hmm... He figured there were more people than just him and Birkin in here, but he doesn't really like this. Something about it is making him uneasy...

Well, given the blood and everything, he's absolutely going to proceed to that bend. He'll pause before taking it, just listening to see if he can hear anything abnormal. If not, he'll proceed, but he's going to be very cautious about it.]

[manufactured]

[You'll start hearing the source of that orange glow as you approach the bend in the wall - judging by the soft crackling echoing through the next section of the building, it sounds like fire.

Not a lot of it, it doesn't sound like the next area is engulfed in flames or anything, but there's very definitely some sort of open flame involved.]

[scythegun]

[Open flame, huh... Well, you'd think this place would have a sprinkler system or something to take care of that, but hopefully it isn't anything too bad... Time to check it out. He'll round the bend, so what's going on here?]

[manufactured]

[The hallway takes you to another door, this one open; visible just beyond it is what looks like a large tunnel or passageway, dark and made of steel and concrete. The source of the fire is immediately visible - it seems that there was some sort of problem with a train smashing into the end of the tunnel itself, the engine and one of the cars overturned in front of you. It seems that they were disconnected from the rest of the train, seeing as they're a fair distance away from where the remaining cars obviously zigzagged into a collision with each other. At least everything but the engine and the car behind it is still upright.

That said, some of the train cars are very much on fire, though due to the materials the tunnels are made of it doesn't seem to be spreading any and it actually seems to be reasonably contained. At least you can see clearly enough in here.]

[scythegun]

[Ah, okay, this is... something. He's not sure what to make of it, but boy is it something. His grip tightens on the briefcase; he doesn't like the looks of this, but he's certainly not turning around and leaving.

He'll head through the door toward the train, pausing once he's closer to get a better look at it. Is there anything here to check out? The train had to come from somewhere, so are there tracks he can follow if there isn't anything else to see here?]

[manufactured]

[...I mean, there are tracks to follow if you want to pick your way through a good portion of burning train. Which is an option, and it's not even an option that comes with an "are you sure?" attached, though it's not a pleasant option, either.

It looks like there's a door beyond all of the wreckage, visible through the split between the head cars that have been overturned and the ones that have remained upright; you'll also hear something coming from somewhere up above you, on top of the overturned second car. Footsteps, probably, though they sound heavy and measured, not quick and light like Birkin's.]

[scythegun]

[The door is a much better option than following the tracks! But the footsteps are more interesting; where do they seem to be going? Are they headed this way or are they going in the direction of the door or the tracks leading away?]

[manufactured]

[Oh, don't worry, they're approaching you, though again they're definitely from above, steps reverberating off the metal side of the train car. Eventually someone will be visible standing atop it, looking down on you with all the arrogance of someone who knows you're not supposed to be here and fully intends to take his sweet time doing something about it, because it's not going to matter if you fight back.

Thankfully he's alone, there aren't any mutated people with him intended to serve as enforcers, but even without them he's imposing; he's tall and striking, someone Jaeger will recognize from Wesker's photographs, and the blade he's carrying in his right hand is thick and double-edged. He twirls it idly around its axis as he speaks; his voice is deep and his accent is unmistakably Russian.]

Well, well - and who might you be? Another little rat that's trying to find their way out of the building?

[Despite the bizarre and very large knife and the...casual insult, he doesn't sound hostile? Amused, definitely, and at least some form of threatening, but it's more the sort of threat that comes with high authority in a place you don't belong as opposed to the sort of threat that wants to tear your head off.]

[scythegun]

[Ah, he recognizes Sergei. Great, he's just running into all sorts of people from Wesker's memories! Who will be next, Chris? He wouldn't even be surprised at this point.

But that's not reason to be rude, so he holds up his free hand in greeting.]

You make it sound like there are quite a few people trying to leave!

[He's certainly not going to pick a fight with Sergei if he can help it; he doesn't know if Sergei is alone or not, but it's much better to play it safe while he tries to work out what's going on here.]

cw: self-harm; this is going to come up occasionally with sergei

[manufactured]

Just one that shouldn't be abandoning his post. A friend of mine, one that likes to think he can do what he feels like.

[His voice never raises above briskly cordial, but the blade stills in his hand; he wraps his hand tightly around the edge of the knife, the motion almost disturbingly idle given the fact that it draws blood immediately.]

[scythegun]

[Well, that's... really distracting, but he'll do his best not to just openly stare because what the hell. Who does that. Why.]

You've seen... Wesker, ja? I've been wondering where he went.

[It's so weird to call his boyfriend by last name?? So weird.]

[manufactured]

So you're looking for him too.

[That gets a light scoff out of him.]

He's an annoying little thing. But not too bad, if you can get him to stay still.

[scythegun]

He's certainly interesting! I'm rather fond of him.

You don't happen to have any idea where he might be, do you?

[Probably not, if Sergei's looking for him, but it doesn't hurt to ask.]

[manufactured]

Depends on what you want him for.

[So he might, he might not.]

[scythegun]

I have some questions for him - things only he can answer, I'm afraid.

[It's probably not a good idea to mention what he saw in the other room, so he'll just keep quiet about wanting to make sure Wesker's safe.]

cw: self-harm, sergei vladimir being himself

[manufactured]

And you think he'll be honest...?

[He'll finally unwrap his hand from where he's been holding tightly to that blade; there's blood dripping down his fingers, emanating from tight cuts on his palm and his joints, but it doesn't seem to bother him. When he shifts the knife upward it looks almost like he's licking the blood off, though it's evident that that's not...quite the case; he ghosts the blade across the edge of his mouth, drawing a thin trickle of blood there as well from the right side.]

I'll tell you now, comrade, there's no one in this world that man is honest with.