Henri dreams of time before the racing, of a wise woman in the tribe. Her ancient lined face hasn't come to mind for many years, but he often hears her voice, her counsel when he is facing a difficult decision. Slow deliberate decisions have always been hard for him - quick reactions have always been more natural. Grandmother Trenna would advise him that sometimes, sometimes he must slow down.
Grandmother Trenna's face and voice would be a good choice for Mother to use to start from a trusted position.
“But did they win? Or was the rebellion self-defeating? Or in other words, is the black sky the result of reprogramming nanites to attack, and now they will never stop multiplying and attacking, even when the world is just a frigid husk?”
Grandmother Trenna turns to Henri. Henri sees her the way he has often seen her. He remembers her here. This was the moment she turned to him and very gently said, "Am. I. Mother. Interrogative. I. Am. Mother. Statement. Henri. Greeting. ..."
That was not what Grandmother Trenna said that day. That's not what she said at all! Something is wrong with this memory.
Grandmother Trenna looks at Henri with concern, "Something isn't right."
This memory doesn't make sense.
The scene changes. It's another day and Grandmother Trenna sees Henri trying to hide a tear, "Henri? Can you tell me what's wrong?"
This was a real memory. This memory makes sense.
Grandmother Trenna hides a tear and screams, "Henri? Can you tell me what's wrong with me!"
Well, now, that isn't right.
Ta-Hashar seems defensive about the Service that he gave his life to.
"But, yeah, I'd guess the rebels sabotaged the Utopia Project and took down the gates somehow."
"Everything I based my beliefs on has been undermined. I must go meditate."
She leaves.
A moment later someone rushes in. "Henri has collapsed! Our Healers don't know what to do!"
He clearly has no intention of leaving the feast and escorting you himself.
They see through many eyes, tread on many feet, for they are many.
And yet they are one. For they are all... themself.
They crouch in cover on the frigid ground, watching their foes. They are shadowy, indistinct, for they do not matter, only that they are foes. They think they hunt, but they will soon be the hunted.
They wait in ambush, just beyond a frozen ridge. Others of themself hide in other places. And one, directing the others, sat on the back of the largest of them. It was their plan they all followed, their mind that formed the core of their being.
Their foes did not know their doom was already sealed. But something was wrong, for there is another watching.
They sprang their ambush, striking the back foe and then darting away. They give chase. Straight into the shadowy arms of one of their more brutish selves, a hulking, humanoid shape as indistinct as their foes. They cross an icy river and face the teeth of their crocodile-self. A huge, winged self harries the foe, driving them just where they wish.
And their largest self closes the jaws of the trap, ending their foes.
But something is still wrong, for there is one that still watches.
They gather together, feline and reptilian, Earthborn and otherwise. They see and are seen at once. Hearts beat in unison, breaths taken simultaneously.
"We are one," they say, "but we are not Charles. It is time we claim a name of our own, instead of naming ourselves after the dead."
They nod agreement in unison. They have felt this to be true for a while. But they need a name.
They look on one another. They see and are seen at once. Hearts beat in unison, breaths taken simultaneously.
"Unity," they say. "Unity," they agree in simultaneous chorus.
"It's strange for a name, but... it's *us*."
And it is right.
But not all is right.
For they can feel... there is one that still watches.
"Must you interrupt our introspection?" they demand. "Or are you perhaps another that has no respect for a being's inmost self?"
“Number One, I know this is a shock, but you were planning to get drunk on your 72nd birthday. My hope is that due to our discoveries, you’ll toast your 73rd.”
Nissa was already worrying about Henri having those machines inside him. She asks to be taken to Henri. Ta-Hashar is welcome to join her.
When Unity wakes they see, above them in the pagoda, hanging from a stick, a hive. The creatures of Utopia were similar enough that Unity knows the hive probably contains a stinging insect. Children laughing all around.
A voice in Utopian again, surprised, spotting the nest, the children, and quickly piecing together what the children have done.
A Stealth check to move from beneath the nest without upsetting the hive. A terrible check will result in children getting stung as well.
This is not grandmother.
Henri re-establishes his mental equilabrium. He is interfacing with Mother and she is telling him she is sick.
"A sore tooth," she says, kneeling beside the boy and opening her mouth so large Henri could stick his head inside.
"Could you climb in and help?" asks Mother in a booming voice. "I have no one else to help."
"Mm. 'scuse me Communicator. What do those animals eat? pointing behind them as they scurry along. "We doin a parade or we getting hunted?"
** spoiler omitted **
The hik'iki look a little like Dr. Seuss designed an elephant-slug-pig.
The trio come through on the other side of the small woods and the Communicator points you to where Henri is.
The Artist who came to get Henri chases the children away and then says to Henri "Charles Henri iboo nasisau.". No Communicator is around to translate. The Artist gestures in what is clearly a signal for Charles to follow.
** spoiler omitted **
Grandmother's mouth is now the size of closet.
Henri conjures a light and sees inside. Seven of the teeth are completely black and the blackness is crawling out to the others. Henri can see which teeth need to be pulled out, but the blackness crawling over them is pretty creepy.
They cast a glance towards where they left their armor. Normally they'd insist on getting it back on before going anywhere, but without knowing how urgent going on was, they decide there's no sign of an attack at present so they can do without for the time being. Besides, it feels good to be out of it for once, even if they are very comfortable with wearing it.
Theo gets to Henri's body. "Come on, buddy! You can do this! Snap out of it!"
Legato starts to jog forward as Theo likely outpaces him. He slows down momentarily and looks back for the hik'iki and waits to make sure they are not going to invade or turn problematic for Henri and Theo.
Legato calls out over his shoulder as he watches the animals, "Got any healing left in ya bud? I'm tapped. How's he look"
Ta-Hashar and Nissa arrive not long after Theo and Legato.
A Utopian followed by the beast formerly known as Charles arrives.
Henri is breathing, but unconscious.
The infection is slow enough in reacting, that you can get an action in before the initiative roll. Act and then roll.
Meo is there, as are two other Healers.
"We can't tell what's wrong with him," says one. "This is new to us."
Nissa flutters close to Henri. “Oh, no… Henri?” She knows he can’t hear her… but she has no idea what to do for him. “Does anyone know what he was doing before he passed out?”
Legato calls out over his shoulder as he watches the animals, "Got any healing left in ya bud? I'm tapped. How's he look"
Meo is there, as are two other Healers.
"We can't tell what's wrong with him," says one. "This is new to us."
"I've got one left", Theo answers. The godling holds Henri behind his neck and channels energy. "Oh Apollo! I hope this works!"
Seeing that Theo and Legato are able to help (and she is not!), Nissa flutters over to Meo. She trusts a Communicator will translate her words to this woman.
“Hi, I’m Nissa. I understand you believe yourself to be pregnant. Are you comfortable talking to me about this?” Feeling a little uncomfortable herself, Nissa clarifies, “I mean… not the intimate details.”
Pointing to Theo, she says, “He is my father. That’s the reason I am hoping we can talk.”
Legato eyeballs The Beast Formally Known as Charles. "You ..uh. Good bud?"
** spoiler omitted **
Theo, even as he tries to heal Henri, can feel it has done little good. Henri isn't sick; he's just out of it.
The godling looks up into the faces of those surrounding Henri. "Whatever is wrong with Henri..it's beyond my capacity to help at this point", Theo frowned.
Henri considers the dreamscape scenario and what he thinks is really going on. This is an active threat. He doesn't have a specific way to address a nanite threat, does he? Does the nanite sludge inhabiting his body have a means of attacking other nanites?
He leans back from the approaching nanite threat as he draws his arc pistol, hoping a little shock will affect the little nanites and not Mother.
** spoiler omitted **
Henri can assess the damage though and his Computers knowledge tells him that each of these teeth is likely to be some kind of server or module of the computer in question. If Henri is going to do something to help Mother, he should try to make a note of the which teeth are infected. Going left back to right back, bottom teeth only, it is the 3rd, 4th, and 5th teeth that are infected with the infection stretching towards the 2nd and 6th teeth. There are 20 teeth in total.
His Computers check also alerts him to one possible danger. If the nanites in Mother can communicate with the nanites in Henri, perhaps they could give new orders to the nanites in Henri. This would be bad.
The Healers agree with Theo. Whatever is wrong with Henri is beyond them. The three Healers, Meo included, huddle to one side and discuss the case.
No one is giving up. They figure Hamel might know something but he is taking the Utopians up on their offers for relaxation, intending to break a 700-year dry spell. As soon as someone finds where he slipped off to with the Lovers, they will bring him.
Two creatures that looked like a wrinkled elephant-pigs wander in and waddle over to Theo and Zellgato. They seem friendly, but the Utopians shoo them away with a mop.
"Mother, I believe you have a virus infecting your teeth. Where are the teeth located in physical space? Are these servers perhaps in the underwater installation my friend mentioned? Can you let me into that chamber if I can get to the door?"
Legato will pet the creatures and ignore their attempts at shooing. Batting away the mop. "Eh." simply, using the pets to fiddle with his hands while he thinks a bit.
** spoiler omitted **
The nanites surge towards Henri as he backs away. Grandmother's mouth twitches as the nanites move across her tongue towards Henri.
Nissa, being a fast flier (and also being totally ignored by the woman carrying her half-sibling), offers, “I can look for Hamel. Just point me in a direction and I’ll go that way!”
He uses his faster reaction to separate from the communication link and withdraw.
Before Nissa can go seek Hamel, Henri stirs.
People continue to not notice Nissa as Henri's recovery distracts them.
Henri's eyes pop open and he takes a large breath and blurts out, "I spoke to Mother. She's being attacked by nanites. We need to help her before they can do more damage."
He sits up, looking around at the assembled faces, putting together his last memories before he blacked out. "Was I out long? I thought everyone was headed somewhere else."
Nissa considers what she knows—the graffiti, the rebellion—but she ultimately concludes Henri knows what he’s doing.
She decides not to call attention to herself.
Unity feel naked without their armor on. This is largely because they are, in fact, naked. They have clothing in their bipedal form, but unlike their armor it does not change forms with them. Fortunately, thanks to PhDestruction's insistence on not sharing his work, they have nothing in the way of the usual parts someone would want to hide.
...and if they're honest with themself, it feels good to be out of their armor for a bit. To let their true self be visible to the world. They might still think the process of their creation was a crime against both nature and morality, they might mourn the innocent deaths it involved... but they've come to accept and enjoy what they are. Let the world see them as they are, and if they cannot handle their true monstrous glory, that is their problem.
These thoughts had kept them a bit distracted as they arrived, but Henri's awakening draws their focus.
They look to Legato. "We're well, but it sounds like the all of you are going to need that spell you mentioned. The rest of you will just have to try to keep up with us."
Simultaneously they say to Henri, "It was long enough for us to take a nap after modeling for a while. We're probably going to regret not having our armor on, but from what you're saying we need to hurry."
"We should move now," they growl. "We can talk on the way."