[He'd guessed that was probably the case, but there's still a chill that runs through him when the words hit him, settling down into his core. Maybe the hallucinations are the last he'll see of those at home -- the people who made him who he is, who came with him all the way here because they're an indelible part of him.
And maybe both he and Soma will stay in this world. His team will never know. After Lindow -- after Lindow, they probably wouldn't even find their armlets.
He'd been prepared, deep down. But it's different to hear it. Extended goodbyes really are the worst.]
[They are probably going to be the ones to determine this. The dead are doing what they can -- but the leverage has to be living, and those finding the solution need to put it together here. The way forward... hurts, and has hurt for as long as he's been here, but maybe he didn't make only bad choices.
That depends on what happens from now on.]
... We need to find out how to get the souls from Sol. And then we need those who survive for -- for leverage to agree to the organization's terms.
[He honestly still doesn't like the sound of it. They still don't know enough about the organization, how trustworthy it is, nothing except all it's done to them.]
It's been a long, long dark road and they still don't know their destination -- but they've walked it together since that first trial, and they're all still so terrible at sacrificing the things they could to make it easier. All of the people who would have been willing to be stepping stones, himself included.
They just needed more understanding to make it here. And they'll probably need more still to make it to where they want to be, or at least to a place they can accept. He's quiet for a little while.]
We'll need to find a way to help Sol too. To really put an end to this.
As long as the rock god is alive, it will be seen as a threat that needs to be contained. That is standard protocol: anything that can harm people must be safely contained.
The Mishibijw told us it was an ancient god. Archer said that it was a threat to humanity itself.
If it's really so dangerous... wouldn't there have been a need for this camp long before it was created?
[There are things that don't add up about the organization's relationship to Sol, and vice versa. He's thought this since Talcott tried to communicate something like it to them, all that time ago, and the Metaverse has solidified that feeling.
Yes. But you're trying to get them to change the protocol for this camp already, aren't you?
[He remembers her mentioning that before -- the different protocols. The containment protocol. The final protocol. And then--]
... Red, how much does Archer know about this camp? Is there a way to get him on our side?
[Given their limited time, Archer's personality and everything that they're trying to do, he probably means get him on your side at this point. But if Archer is here about the protocol and the ritual then... it's necessary to know if he can be trusted. That's part of what's been tripping him up this week.
Other than that, he's reaching for any resources he can find.]
[And given his insistence on saving the world from a freaked out child god... he probably doesn't know too much more than Red about Sol's real relationship to the organization, either. Or perhaps has a different set of blind spots. Call it an educated guess.]
... We've gotten a lot of our information from the dead, and the Metaverse. We'll... probably need more solid evidence than that.
[He's thinking out loud a little, testing the waters, because Red is the one who knows Archer the best here at this point.]
[He hadn't expected it to be something that sounded so simple.
Of course, it's not so simple in practice -- even Floe had said that it was hard to completely believe in the dead unless you saw it with your own eyes, and despite Richie's and everyone else's best efforts their communication with the dead is still haphazard at best. But they're all here, which means there has to be a way.]
"Bodies for food. Souls for growth. More than 100 souls caught in between."
That's... what those who went to the Metaverse heard there.
[There might be way, way more souls in the balance than those from this round. That's what he's been thinking, and while he's not sure how that will come into play... The fact that Archer is a former counselor might also be helpful here. Really, he's just digging through thoughts and seeing what clicks.
It would be a lot more helpful if they could ask the dead questions at will. But nothing is ever easy, is it?]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 03:21 am (UTC)And maybe both he and Soma will stay in this world. His team will never know. After Lindow -- after Lindow, they probably wouldn't even find their armlets.
He'd been prepared, deep down. But it's different to hear it. Extended goodbyes really are the worst.]
... When will we find out? We need time.
[His voice is even.]
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 03:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 03:49 am (UTC)[They are probably going to be the ones to determine this. The dead are doing what they can -- but the leverage has to be living, and those finding the solution need to put it together here. The way forward... hurts, and has hurt for as long as he's been here, but maybe he didn't make only bad choices.
That depends on what happens from now on.]
... We need to find out how to get the souls from Sol. And then we need those who survive for -- for leverage to agree to the organization's terms.
[He honestly still doesn't like the sound of it. They still don't know enough about the organization, how trustworthy it is, nothing except all it's done to them.]
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 03:58 am (UTC)['What's worth fighting for is never easy' or something like that.]
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 04:13 am (UTC)[His voice, somehow, softens.
It's been a long, long dark road and they still don't know their destination -- but they've walked it together since that first trial, and they're all still so terrible at sacrificing the things they could to make it easier. All of the people who would have been willing to be stepping stones, himself included.
They just needed more understanding to make it here. And they'll probably need more still to make it to where they want to be, or at least to a place they can accept. He's quiet for a little while.]
We'll need to find a way to help Sol too. To really put an end to this.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 04:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 04:31 am (UTC)The Mishibijw told us it was an ancient god. Archer said that it was a threat to humanity itself.
If it's really so dangerous... wouldn't there have been a need for this camp long before it was created?
[There are things that don't add up about the organization's relationship to Sol, and vice versa. He's thought this since Talcott tried to communicate something like it to them, all that time ago, and the Metaverse has solidified that feeling.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 04:33 am (UTC)[Okay yeah, Red doesn't have an answer for that. What she thinks is right might not be the right answer.]
That doesn't change the fact that my organization will insist on containment protocol.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 04:55 am (UTC)[He remembers her mentioning that before -- the different protocols. The containment protocol. The final protocol. And then--]
... Red, how much does Archer know about this camp? Is there a way to get him on our side?
[Given their limited time, Archer's personality and everything that they're trying to do, he probably means get him on your side at this point. But if Archer is here about the protocol and the ritual then... it's necessary to know if he can be trusted. That's part of what's been tripping him up this week.
Other than that, he's reaching for any resources he can find.]
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 04:58 am (UTC)I think it's possible to sway his opinion, but it's going to be hard. You'll need evidence and a solid plan to do that.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 05:15 am (UTC)[And given his insistence on saving the world from a freaked out child god... he probably doesn't know too much more than Red about Sol's real relationship to the organization, either. Or perhaps has a different set of blind spots. Call it an educated guess.]
... We've gotten a lot of our information from the dead, and the Metaverse. We'll... probably need more solid evidence than that.
[He's thinking out loud a little, testing the waters, because Red is the one who knows Archer the best here at this point.]
What kind of evidence would he accept?
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 05:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 05:27 am (UTC)[He hadn't expected it to be something that sounded so simple.
Of course, it's not so simple in practice -- even Floe had said that it was hard to completely believe in the dead unless you saw it with your own eyes, and despite Richie's and everyone else's best efforts their communication with the dead is still haphazard at best. But they're all here, which means there has to be a way.]
Red, Archer was a counselor with you, wasn't he?
no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-14 05:47 am (UTC)That's... what those who went to the Metaverse heard there.
[There might be way, way more souls in the balance than those from this round. That's what he's been thinking, and while he's not sure how that will come into play... The fact that Archer is a former counselor might also be helpful here. Really, he's just digging through thoughts and seeing what clicks.
It would be a lot more helpful if they could ask the dead questions at will. But nothing is ever easy, is it?]