Ruh Roh Raggy! (Happy Halloween in advance! :D)

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askmemesyo:

[text] I think... I’m going to go home, and sleep.

[text] If ppl keep making me stay up like this

[text] an accident is going to happen.

Unexpectedly her earphones crackle to life. Though they could pick up radio communication, it was more common to use the weak internet signal they could maintain the Domes. Who was using that dinosaur technology down here? Didn’t sound like an Octarian. “This is Agent 1. Identify yourself immediately.”

By their accent they were probably the civilian Callie had been sent to retrieve, and over the crackle they even sound a little familiar… If they were a native they would have been a lot nastier, and probably not bothered with the radio contact before shooting at her.

Siren’s heart sank. Of all the people she could have encountered down here, she ends up with an Agent, one who sounded vaguely familiar. She didn’t particularly want to start a fight, nor wanted to lead the Agent into a chase deep into abandoned territory. Evasion wasn’t an option, but maybe they can be convinced to hear her out.

“My name is Siren. Apologies if I startled you with an out of nowhere message, I had to check to see if I could even get in contact with you. If you are here to bring me back to the surface, I’m afraid I cannot go yet. There is an old weapon research facility deep in the abandoned military district, and it’s rumored to be up and running again. I wish to make my way out there and check to see if the rumors are true.”

They rarely got much activity in the abandoned Domes. Motion detectors caught ceiling panels as they peeled loose and crashed into the ever-growing middens that were the lower reaches of Octo Valley. The difference this time was that someone had reported a civilian headed that way, and when they hadn’t emerged, that was when the Agency got a call.

Callie adjusts the strap on her breathing mask as she stares down the kettle entrance. The air got bad down there, almost unbreathable between the depth and the noxious gas created by whatever it was rotting in the depths. She’d seen some freaky stuff, but she’d never had to go too deep… Hopefully that wouldn’t change tonight. Whoever was foolish enough to try spelunking in the abandoned Domes wouldn’t get far before they passed out… 

Supposedly they’d been seen entering sector 9, which hadn’t been uninhabited for too long, maybe a year. There might still be some squatters in there. Callie clicks her flashlight on and heads in, sweeping it up and down the podlike apartments clustered on the walls, their windows dark and empty. 

Siren didn’t go much farther before she knelt down to affix her own respirator. The ferals tended to leave hunks of flesh from old kills behind, contributing to the overall atmosphere of rot and decay that the domes were infamous for. In addition to the horrid odor, the decaying flesh helped to culture numerous pathogens, which often spread to the unprepared. She tightened the mask, and continued onward, hoping the protection it brings will suffice.

As Siren walked, her thoughts shifted toward the potential threat of getting swarmed, once she reached her destination. A single feral won’t likely pose much of a threat, unless they get the drop on her. Getting tracked down by a pack of ferals, however, would force her to wait them out. Fighting an entire pack of ravenous Octarians would result in grievous injury for her, at best. She shuddered at the thought, pausing to look up at the old apartment complex.

Siren’s eyes were quickly drawn to a small glimmer of light that was reflecting off of a nearby window. As soon as she saw it, she quickly darted behind one of the ground level pods, and crouched down on the ground. Whoever is shining that light could stir up trouble, especially if the person goes deeper in. The person needs to be warned about what lies ahead, especially if they have plans to go exploring the old military district. With any luck, she can either scare them off, or impress upon them the importance of listening to her advice. She pulls a handheld radio off of her backpack, and powers it on. Not all explorers bring short range radios, but with any luck, this one might have. If she has to hike back to warn them, she doesn’t think she could go back out there again, at least not for tonight.

“Hey there. I don’t know what your business is down here, and I don’t plan on interrupting it, but I would appreciate if you would respond. You should know what you are up against before attempting any exploration.”

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“No, I understand. I promise I’ll go get it fixed as soon as I can.” This little sob story wasn’t helping her case much. Callie stands, taking her Roller with her. “Lemme show you out so security doesn’t go tackling you. I’ll make sure you get an umbrella too. We have a whole bunch in the gift shop…” She gestures for Siren to go first back into the stairwell.

Siren nods, and quickly gathers up her belongings. “Appreciated, but I’ve an umbrella on me. Not sure how effective an umbrella will actually be, though.” She grabs her umbrella, and holds it in her left tentacle, heading into the stairwell. ”I hope I didn’t leave a terrible first impression. I wouldn’t mind talking with you again. Maybe somewhere that isn’t a restricted area, preferably.” 

Siren makes her way towards the main entrance, and expands her umbrella. “Alright, looks like I’m ready to head out. It was nice to talk to you, to have company for a change. I hope we meet again soon.” She bows her head slightly, and slips through the door.

“Yeah, me too…” Callie narrows her eyes just a bit. It was just a little too convenient that she’d run into someone who just happened to know a lot about weapons at a time when her own weapon was supposedly due for a malfunction… The Agency had a huge budget, there was no reason they’d be using the cheapest parts. Even if Callie had received her Roller back before it had grown so exponentially, they still would have kept on top of upgrades since then. “Like I said, I’ll keep it in mind. I know this weapon inside and out, though, I’ll probably be able to fix it myself. Thanks.”

“Understood.”  Siren noticed the squint, and pinches the bridge of her own nose. She wasn’t intending to sound shady with her concern, though in hindsight, she should have seen it coming, considering her current circumstances. “Urgh, I’m sorry I’m sounding so pushy. I used to live with three other people until recently, and I tended to perform maintenance on everyone’s weapons, among other things. Two of them weren’t from around here, and I worried about them not making it home safely. which is why I always worked to make sure that they could defend themselves, if encounters with less than savory inklings turned violent.”

The sound of rain grew into a soft roar, with small distinct pings mixed in. “Hmm.. Sounds like the weather is getting pretty bad outside. Maybe I ought to get ready to head home. I’ve probably taken up enough of your time as is.” 

“Geez…” Callie drums her fingers on the Roller’s handle. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a civilian fiddling around in my government-issued weapon… Not that I don’t trust your abilities, it’s just that if anything goes wrong, I’m the one that gets in trouble. I’ll make sure to have the deck checked out soon.” How had nobody at the Agency notified her of this? You’d think they’d want to keep on top of their Agents’ equipment status… though she did often keep her Roller at home. It felt safer to have it there. There were others she could make do with until this one was fixed, but she was very attached to this one, and having it inaccessible would make it feel like she was missing one of her limbs…

Siren sighs. “I suppose you are right. I’d rather not get you into trouble with anyone.” She pulls out a small notebook, and jots down a list of part numbers. “Here is a list of very reliable decks that can be obtained without much hassle. If I had to recommend one to go for, I’d go for the Forge C153. It may not be on the cutting edge, but its reasonable cost, durability, and nigh universal usability makes up for that.” She tears off the page, and hands it to Callie.

“I’m surprised your quartermaster didn’t call everyone with those decks on their weapons in. I mean, I figured that the Agency has a limited budget, but not one so tight that replacing faulty hardware would break the bank. Talk about taking the absolute lowest bidder, huh?” Siren laughs dryly. “If the Agency can’t obtain these decks, let me know, so I can set aside one of each for you to tinker with.”

“I tend to keep some tools and parts on me, as well as the scanner. People are rough on their weapons, and more often than not, they come out of the battle lobby with a weapon that leaks ink all over the place, because they damaged or broke components on the inside. The scanner lets me identify the brand, and in newer weapons, identify exactly what is broken before I even crack the case.” The scanner springs to life as the roller is brought close, and starts printing out information on a small screen, mounted on the back of the device.

“Hm.” Callie lifts the Roller, peering closely at its ink tank. “It’s damaged? It was working fine last time I used it. The special is Kraken so it might just be depleted…” Granted she hadn’t had to use the Kraken mode in some time, not for a couple months at least. Something could have very well been shaken loose by now. “Well.. I’ll take it apart later, once I get home. I don’t have any tools with me right now.”

“If you’d like, I can take a look at it. If it is something small, I can probably fix it with the tools I have on hand, and if it something more severe, I can at least diagnose it better than my scanner can.”  Siren slowly shuffles over to Callie on her knees, and takes a look at the output on screen. 

“Huh.. I might actually know what is going wrong already. That particular Sub/Special deck was recalled a year and a half ago. The depressingly shoddy build quality of the decks ended up causing some specials to severely malfunction after prolonged exposure. The most notable case is a report of a child getting stuck in Kraken form for an entire month, until their body gave out due to the sheer strain of sustaining Kraken. Kid survived, thankfully, but Tentatek has to pay out a hefty sum to everyone who was negatively affected by the malfunctions. They’ve not released a interchangeable deck since, which is probably for the best. They make a lot of affordable recreational weapons, but that is where their weapon expertise ends.” She huffs, using one of her tentacles to scoop her bag closer to where she sat “It is a good thing that you found out now, rather than getting a nasty surprise  after needing it.”

“I believe I have my proper scanner on me. Give me a sec to look through my pack.” Siren slides off her charger and backpack, gently setting her charger off to the side before rummaging through the pack. “My tech knowledge mostly stems from my love of tinkering, and my proficiency at going too far and breaking things. Perks of running a store that deals with selling and repairing recreational weapons, I can order a good supply of replacement parts without jumping through hoops.” She finally pulls out a small case, and hands it over to Callie. “Here you go! Just be careful with it, as the components that I used to make it aren’t sold anymore, and new versions cost a tentacle and a half.”

Callie takes the case in her tentacle, handing it to herself. “And you were just… carrying this around? Were you expecting to have to scan stuff?” If it was that delicate, just carrying it around seemed kind of risky. She opens the case and lifts the scanner out, clicking it on. Obviously homebrew, but constructed with a skilled hand. She drags her roller over to test the scanner, see just what sort of info it brought up.

“I tend to keep some tools and parts on me, as well as the scanner. People are rough on their weapons, and more often than not, they come out of the battle lobby with a weapon that leaks ink all over the place, because they damaged or broke components on the inside. The scanner lets me identify the brand, and in newer weapons, identify exactly what is broken before I even crack the case.” The scanner springs to life as the roller is brought close, and starts printing out information on a small screen, mounted on the back of the device.