R1 DEADLAND

[lockdownmods]

[it’s strange, for the people who were already dead, the shift in scenery is sudden and complete. For those who have just arrived? It’s like you’re back where you left?

How strange.

But if you ever need her, you can always reach out to the guardian of this place.]

LOCATIONS
Note: locations lag a week behind the living counterparts

Comments

[preconstruction]

[ connor dodges, only just barely missing - and he only manages it because they fought before and he cataloged it.

but he can kind of tell this isn't a bad??? greeting?? so he smiles. ]

Hello, Viral. We have a lot to catch up on.

[machrophage]

[And because they're fought before, he'll also probably be expecting the follow-up blow.

But it stops after that, Viral's expression tense and only slowly relaxing.]

You're an idiot. How did you manage to - you dumb bucket of bolts.

[Nailed it.]

[preconstruction]

[ he lets that one hit -- it's probably good for the beastman. ]

Han's evil twin forced an android to rip out my most vital biocomponent and render by body broken enough that I could not be reloaded into it.

[machrophage]

[It's how they bond!]

His - what?

[Genuine confusion. What the hell is a twin.]

[preconstruction]

It's someone who looks exactly like him, but evil. Hold on.

[ he pulls up a picture on his HAND DISPLAY i love his hand display. it's like looking at a phonescreen. anyways, the picture is of someone like han, but " It might be Han, if Han had a long, thin scar running from just below his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and over his right eyebrow. It might be Han if Han wore pressed suits, and had zero warmth in his face."

sad evil twin han ]

Technically speaking, a twin is someone that one is related to. But this situation could be clones or AI or robots -- although, the Han we know is definitely not a robot.

[ they would've interfaced ): ]

[machrophage]

[Well that's... handy.

Viral leans in to look at the image better, blinking.]

... This is another human thing, isn't it.

[HELP HIM...]

[preconstruction]

Try not to worry about the specifics. Just remember: looks like Han, but evil. Capable of hacking anything. Probably could kill all of us.

[machrophage]

...So how do we take the fight to him?

[THIS JUST SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER ANTISPIRAL THING. LET'S GO PUNCH IT.]

[preconstruction]

He has an AI form, which if we could connect to we could fight that way. But for him to really die, we'd likely have to delete both that and his destroy his physical body. But I don't know where we'd find him.

[machrophage]

I guess it would be too easy to have a Perceptual Teleportation System lying around...

[Don't even ask, Connor.]

It's a start. Having a goal to work towards, even if it seems impossible, is better than nothing at all.

[preconstruction]

I agree. Being goal oriented is important.

[machrophage]

If there's a ceiling, tear it down, or drill right through.

[That's the Dai-Gurren way.]

[preconstruction]

[ that gets him to smile ]

Then let's hope we can find a roof.

[machrophage]

[Connor might be surprised to note that not only is Viral also smiling, but that there's just something more relaxed and open about his posture, like something that had been held taut and distrusting has finally been let loose.]

Oh, I'm sure that won't be a problem.

[preconstruction]

I'm glad to see that your spirit is still strong.

[machrophage]

Hmph. If anything, it's stronger.

[Though that really is a subject all on its own.]

Everyone's memories seem to return when they get here, after all.

[preconstruction]

I noticed that. It's quite a relief.

[machrophage]

It was overwhelming at first. I'd lost seven years.

[Which, you know, is a lot of time.]

[preconstruction]

I knew we thought it was a time skip -- but that's a lot. I assume even for beastmen.

[machrophage]

Especially given what happened in those seven years. Humans are truly incredible - impossible, even.

[preconstruction]

I take it they got their cities back.

[machrophage]

[And Viral... laughs?]

Teppelin was never a human city. They razed it to the ground and built over it - Kamina City, I wonder what he would have thought of that. In seven years it went from nothing but a ruin to as beautiful as our capital ever was.

[preconstruction]

Humans really can do incredible things.

[machrophage]

As long as even the slimmest possibility of success exists... We'll manage it. Because that's what Team Dai-Gurren is.

[It's said like a motto or a mantra, something familiar taken as his own.]

Changing and becoming something better, even at the last possible moment.

[preconstruction]

Technically speaking, there's always a probability that an unlikely outcome will occur.

[ he'd said the same thing to markus. maybe it made him reckless, but maybe people around here could stand to be a little reckless. ]