( closed )

[imaginate]

Characters: Eridan Ampora, Garrett Hawke, Hal Jordan, Jim Kirk, Kyle Rayner, Mark Grayson, Pavel Chekov, Tony Stark, and Yousuke Hamamura.
Date: March 10th - 15th.
Location: Hawke, Kyle, Mark, and Chekov in an Earth Sector warehouse; Eridan, Hal, Jim, Yousuke, and Tony in the Metal Sector warehouse.
Situation: Exploring the Dreaming plane.
Warnings/Rating: None, will be added later if necessary. Starters in comments.

Comments

DREAMING;

[imaginate]

He picks two of his less secure safehouses, sparsely furnished. Kyle’s made certain he’s prepared, and that he can at least trust the people here to keep this between themselves until the mission’s conclusion; the safehouse itself... that can be compromised without issue even if it is password-protected. Both are fairly nondescript buildings, easily passed over, save for the interior: a setup to the left side containing most of the scientific equipment Tony’s provided, three towering stone archways with the Dreaming runes elegantly carved onto them, and backpacks in the corner for everyone going in: containing food and water for half a week, short-wave radios, and flares. Kyle has no doubt everyone can control the surroundings of the Dream plane, but Damian had his suspicions, and he was inclined to trust the little bat.

Upon arrival, he gives people time to check out the area, pick a pack, and check that all their necessary equipment is working, before directing them towards an archway, which shimmer slightly in various colours out of the corner of one’s eye. 'The objective is explore and report back,' he says, to one team in person, to the other as a hologram. 'How long it takes you to find each other in there - if you can find each other - or find the exit, or use the radios... Any bizarre emotions you feel, if you can or can't manipulate the landscape, et cetera. We know very little about this and there’s no reason to suggest it’s dangerous, but tread carefully. Last time it was a hellhole.' A beat. 'Good luck.'

The Dream plane itself is, very briefly, grey and undefined, until one enters. It changes according to the individual explorer’s thoughts: from cities to mountain ranges, drab skies to brilliant hues, it’s all malleable. Powers do not work but injuries sustained remain that way even after exiting. Tools only give the appearance of working, shorted out by magic, and the voices on that radio may not even belong to the other team members at all.

Nightmares are dreams too. Now and then there are are dark corners, remnants of those who’ve passed through this realm, tucked away in unseen pockets.

[ooc: action or prose all good! feel free to start your own threads under this header. you aren’t limited to those in the same warehouse; the Dream plane connects them both.]

[iwannabeadragon]

Now this is more like it. When Kyle tapped him for this job he was more than happy to volunteer. Exploring new and dangerous places is what he did. Albeit this 'Dreaming' sounded a lot like the Fade so he may have some familiarity with it already. Not only that, this plan actually sounds like it could prove useful, much more so than sitting around waiting for something else to happen.

After a brief check of his gear, quickly familiarizing himself with the radios, Hawke is ready to go yet one thing still remains. Notch sits patiently at his side wagging his tail, ready to follow his master into whatever waits for them in there. This time though, his constant companion won't be joining him. After the scare he got when they fought that magic flinging creature, Hawke doesn't want to chance Notch getting lost in a land of dreams and fantasy. The dog is smart, smarter than most people he knows, but he doubts the mabari could handle this.

Hawke smiles and pets the dog gently, kneeling in front of him. "You're staying here this time boy," Hawke tells Notch softly. Instantly Notch's ears droop, his tail stops, and he whines. Hawke shakes his head. "No none of that. Your job will be to stay here and guard the archway until we get back. I don't want to hear any arguments." Another whine and Notch nuzzles against Hawke's chin. He doesn't like what he's hearing, but he'll do as he's told. The mabari gets a scratch behind the ears in return.

"Guard this place until I get back. Do a good job and we'll convince Jack to give you some extra fish as a treat," Hawke offers with a smile. That gets Notch's attention. He barks excitedly and his tail begins to wag again. Hawke nods with approval. "That's the spirit. We'll be leaving everything in your care." Notch rises to his feet, giving a confident bark.

Again he smiles at the hound. He stands, then nods at the others before stepping through the archway. For a moment it seems that he's stepped into a thick fog, then the landscape forms around him. The cold hits him instantly and he finds himself standing in a bog up to his knees. Though he hasn't seen it in years, Hawke recognizes the swampy Kocari Wilds almost instantly. Which means he's back in Ferelden. He's home. "Just as brown and drab as I remember," Hawke remarks as he examines his surroundings.

In fact it's exactly as he remember, because he's the one creating it. It's just a landscape created by his thoughts. He needs to remember that. His hands drop down to his axes just in case he finds himself in need of them, and trudges out of the water towards drier land.

[goodanswer]

[Alright, Yosuke has no idea how he got here, but he definitely wants out. This is about as creepy of a forest as you can get. Dark, wet, cold, and not a sign of human civilization anywhere so far. Plenty of wolves apparently, from the howling he periodically hears from not so far off, but no humans.

He's resting defensively with his back against a tree when he suddenly hears the crunch of footsteps. The noise is coming from the direction of a swampy area he'd just walked around, so naturally Yosuke's first thought is oh boy, it's going to be some kind of B-movie monster, isn't it.

But for now, instead of flipping out, he'll peek around the tree cautiously.]

Um, is somebody there?

[iwannabeadragon]

[The wolves, Hawke remembers them. Of course if they're here, even nastier beasts could be lurking around. Hawke wonders if this dream version of the Wilds is exactly like the one he remembers so many years ago. If so, wolves are going to be the least of his worries.

Hawke hears the voice and realizes it's one that he recognizes. Out here it sticks out like a sore thumb. He knows it doesn't belong in a place like this. Seems like someone found their way into his own little dream world.

He trudges out from behind a nearby tree, finally reaching solid ground when he spots Yosuke. Yep, he definitely sticks out in this place.]

No one here but us heroes.

[He shoots Yosuke a grin.]

Though you might want to keep it down. I'm still not sure how much like the real thing this place is.

[goodanswer]

[Yosuke is grimacing as he hears something heavy trudging closer, but when a man comes out from the darkness, he feels the tension leave his shoulders. Oh... it's this guy. He recognizes this guy - he talked to him on the computer when he first got here, and he's one of the ones here to explore.

With a sigh, he pushes away from the tree and turns to face him.]

I thought you were gonna be a bear or something ready to eat my face off. Where the hell are we? Is this your dream?

[iwannabeadragon]

[Hawke smirks at Yosuke.]

You're worried about bears? Here I thought you were used to slaying monsters.

[Alright, so at least they're able to find one another in this place, even if it's completely by accident. Hawke briefly wonders if getting out will work the same way. It's a thought for another time though. Right now there's more exploration to be had. He's not so eager to leave this place yet.]

Unless you've been to Ferelden recently then I'd say yes, this is my dream. We're in the Korcari Wilds.

[animosus]

[Hal may no longer trust himself with a power ring, but like hell was he going to let Kyle go into this without backup. Kyle could take care of himself, but Hal was still a Green Lantern at heart. It wouldn't have been right to have stayed out of it when other non Corps members were joining in. They didn't even need to be on the same team, just knowing he was doing his bit was enough. Besides, from what he'd heard of the place, willpower would come in handy and he still had one of the strongest wills in the world.

He goes through his checks quickly and efficiently. Not unlike the easy way he used to go through the safety checks before he took out a new plane to test. Once he's done, he doesn't hesitate before stepping boldly through the portal. The Dream plane morphs in response to Hal's presence and he finds himself standing in the ruins of city that's very familiar to him with hints of the environment in the bottle here and there. It's a clear indicator of the thoughts that have been weighing on him lately, but at least it's not his nightmares.

Hal grits his teeth and starts walking. Maybe when he finds someone they could change this, but right now he was still trying to find his footing.]

[definingfuture]

[Tony wanders alone a few minutes once he enters the Dreaming. For a while, he wonders if he's actually going to find the other team members on their little exploration--and then the world seems to shift and he's walking through a ruined city, one that is unfamiliar and lonely.

He's even relieved when he sees the familiar face. They haven't exactly been friendly before, but encountering Hal is better than nothing. Tony approaches, hand raised in a greeting as he walks toward him.]

Enjoying the walk?

[animosus]

[There's another person and everything around them is distinctly the same. Maybe there really was drawbacks to being stubborn.

(No, no there wasn't.)

Hal responds with a half-hearted wave of his own. He remembers Tony as a guy that needs a push to get going and possibly prone to moping about losses which means on his list of people that might be useful here, is quite low. He's assuming Kyle invited him because he was smart.]

The scenery leaves a little to be desired. [He kicks at a bit of loose rubble.] I guess willing something into existence is harder than I remember.

[definingfuture]

[Tony also thinks that he's probably not the best choice to venture into the dream realm, but he's pretty sure it's not that bad. He's faced off in dreams before, and he can control his own subconscious, right? Sure.

Hal seems to be taking the whole thing in stride. Tony's defense for the moment is to try to block out anything that might be dangerous to manifest. So far, only a hint of that is in the distance--a mechanical hum that seems to come from nowhere in particular. No visuals yet.]

No luck? What were you trying to form?

[Tony sounds mildly curious, not particularly moved by the Dreaming as he looks around.]

This isn't my town, so I'm guessing it's yours. This isn't really what you wanted to see?

[animosus]

[Hal stills.]

Seeing your hometown destroyed isn't what anyone wants to see. [Worse still was the fact that it was his last clear memory before the blurred years of Parallax and the Spectre.] Anything would be better than this.

[shorttempered]

[Mark adjusts his pack for what felt like the thousandth time as he continues to walk through the Dream realm. Frankly, he couldn't remember the last time he had walked so much and he was beginning to get tired (for that matter, he couldn't remember the last time he got tired). He manages to convince himself just a little farther, see if the dream realm transforms into anything, and if not take a break.

No sooner does he make that promise to himself does the dreamscape change. He recognizes parts of it right away as inside the bottle, but as for the city, that's something he can't place at all. Not out of a horror or disaster movie, anyway. As it's something he doesn't recognize, he wonders if perhaps it's oneof the others causing it, and walks a little farther. It's then he begins to make out another figure... oh great, Mark's pretty sure Hal didn't want to see him after he made a huge ass out of himself the last time.

Well, it isn't like he could ignore him, so he gives a little wave as he comes closer.]

...Small world, heh.

[animosus]

[This really couldn't get any worse.]

Weren't you on the other team?

[Actually it could because seeing Mark makes a ghostly Barry appear beside them. He raises a hand.]

Don't say anything.

[shorttempered]

Yeah... The one in Earth sector. I guess--

[And then ghost Barry appears.]

Oh man I said I was sorry! [He's still super embarrassed.] To be fair, I wasn't sure until I asked Clark and he said you guys were. In hindsight I can see him smirking after he told me that....

[imaginate]

[At first he can't even tell it's not his own landscape. Coast City is a ruin too-familiar to him, and Hal's shadow over him always felt long and inescapable. It's maybe only fitting he sees it too, picking his way past the broken buildings, but unlike his own dreams, it doesn't automatically change to an empty field, with Hal's statue anywhere in sight.]

[Kyle stops dead, looking at the area more closely. The steel - that's not his, he couldn't possibly have noticed or cared about it enough to reconstruct it like this —]

Hal?

[It's a bare whisper at first, then, he shouts:] Hal!

[animosus]

[At this point, Hal's sure that Kyle's voice is just a part of this weird place. He barely remembers anything from that point onwards until his resurrection, but he knows that Parallax clashed with Kyle a few times. He's not sure what to expect. He doesn't hold any bad will to Kyle, but at the same time his friends seemed to be weirdly biased against him.

But regardless of whether or not this was all part of Dreaming, it was something new and he had to investigate it.]

Kyle? [He heads towards where he thought he'd heard Kyle and unseen behind him his shadow starts to stretch out and lengthen.]

Over here!

[imaginate]

[He finds nothing around the first few corners. The place is probably making itself a maze because he's beginning to feel that it is - Hal's shout came from.. over there? Or in the other direction? Inwardly frantic, he keeps looking, jaw tightening.]

[His shoes crunch on some broken glass and he swears, kicking them off and imagining new ones in their place. It's not a big deal; he can get more later.]

[He finds the shadow first, and wanders towards it, approaching Hal from behind.]

This is weird, huh?

[definingfuture]

Tony doesn't admit it, but he isn't a huge fan of the Dream realm after it showed him some of his own nightmares. It doesn't stop him from wanting to explore the place, though. Self-preservation riding shotgun to needing answers. He doesn't like the place, but that won't keep him from going into it. And when Kyle makes his suggestion, Tony is right there to join him.

"Well, this is nice."

After entering the glowing archway, the Dreaming seems dark. He can see the hints of a long hallway with reflecting walls and something that looks like a mansion in the distance, but at the moment he's standing in a shadowy street that looks normal enough aside from the lack of lighting.

"Not homey, but it could be worse."

[imaginate]

'Don't jinx it,' Kyle jokes, rounding a corner. This place is all weirdly familiar, and that partly means he already knows his way around. Luckily, it seems nothing here is particularly open - Tony's blocking it all off mentally. 'Brings back old memories, huh?' he quips, leaning against a mirror, waving his hand at his reflection, which waves back.

[goodanswer]

[Alright, honestly. How hard could this be? He's been told he won't be able to use his Persona in this Dream place, but it doesn't sound that bad. Maybe like the TV world, but without the Shadows. While that doesn't mean it's harmless, it does mean that there shouldn't be anything in there that a normal person wouldn't technically be capable of handling. Right? A world that changes with a person's thoughts... he's already been through that. Nearly ten times. Piece of cake.

Not to mention, he's eager to do something already. He's somehow been managing away from his friends and family, but like always, it's boredom he can't stand. So when he steps through the archways with his backpack and watches the world around him turn grey and misty, he can't help but feel relieved.

And then, he's home. Around him are the familiar streets of Inaba, on a sunny and beautiful day. There aren't any people in sight, but it doesn't matter. Just this setting is enough to make him feel very lonely all of a sudden. It's been more than a month since he's seen this place... and it's horribly tempting to just sit down on a curb and enjoy it in silence.

But no. This isn't real, what he's seeing isn't true. It's just a product of his head. The fact that he's seeing it at all makes him feel a bit sad and burdened, but he has to walk and explore like he's supposed to. With a deep breath, he grasps the straps of his pack and begins to walk down the street. Judging from where he is, the shopping district shouldn't be far off, but there's still no people here...]

[shorttempered]

[Just once, Mark would like to be in an open area like this and be able to use his powers. It's like being a fish in a river or the ocean, only to be caught and put in a fish tank... Sure it's a nice fish tank, but it's still incredibly limiting. When Kyle had asked Mark, he was excited at the possibility of finally being able to cut loose.... only to learn at the last minute his powers didn't work here, either.

So Mark might be sulking just a little bit (okay, a lot) as he enters what he thinks is Japan. It looks like Japan, anyway. He hadn't been there often, so he couldn't be sure, but his guess is Japan. The change in scenery actually gets him to perk up a bit, as it's something new and different. That's when he spots someone walking towards him, someone he doesn't recognize.

Is this someone from the group or someone from my subconscious? Mark knows there's another team out there, but he doesn't know who comprised it, and even if he knew their names, he didn't know what all of them looked like.]

Uh, hi there. Are you from Keeliai?

[goodanswer]

[There's another human being up ahead in the road as he nears the shopping district. Considering how conspicuously empty this dream is, Yosuke isn't sure how he ought to interpret the person as he gets closer. Is this just some figment of his imagination? Could it be another one of the team members? Or a completely different person, maybe even a Kedan?

That he called out to him and asked that question doesn't immediately soothe his worries. Although he can't imagine why he'd dream up a stranger in a place so familiar.]

Um - yeah, I am. [he's stopped several yards away, warily keeping his distance.] Are you... with Kyle's group?

[shorttempered]

Yeah! I'm M--[Pauses to touch his face. Yup, Mark. He really has to remember when he's wearing a costuem or not.] Sorry about that, Mark.

Did you come from the other portal? In the, uh, Metal sector I think it was? With Tony and Jim?

POST-MISSION MINGLE; earth warehouse

[imaginate]

How long's it been? Three days? Four? Stumbling out of the archway could be a welcome relief or a sharp kick in the face after the comforts of the Dreaming. Kyle's waiting there with a bottle of fresh, clean water and a change of clothes, and hands over the equipment to Chekov for some data crunching.

There's a new installation, a small couch, for R&R before one is allowed to leave, but not before a certain GL is all up in your business. 'So, how'd it go?'

ota;

[starcharter]

[Chekov is sitting dutifully at his station-- a set-up of the best tech he can put together in Tu Vishan. It's enough to crunch data and correlate patterns and information. The readings so far have been, for lack of a better word, fascinating. Trying to quantify dreams has been an interesting challenge, but he's completely up for the challenge. Excited, even.

He looks a bit tired. Staring at monitors all day will do that to someone. But he seems perfectly cheerfully engrossed in his work, though anyone who comes close enough to his personal space will get a greeting.]