untraceable audio

[maskormods]

[Without warning, a transmission appears on the imPort network. It has no ID or other identifier.]

—nyone there? Can anyone hear this? Shouldn't be here have to try but I'm dead if they find out, I'm dead anyway because it's all gone wrong—

[Several panicked breaths, and then several longer ones, forced.]

She's coming. The organization wanted power because why should you all be the only ones who have it, we wanted to break through to other worlds and this was they way—if Atropos was summoned here, she'd shatter the barriers, walls would become doors, but that's not happening, everything's just falling apart.

I've tried to call it off, this experiment's a failure, we'll do something else but the others won't listen. They've glimpsed something beyond and it did things to them...or maybe they're just that committed. Maybe I'm the weak one. I don't know.

Listen. LISTEN. She's going to come, the process has already begun. Can't be stopped. Calculations say she'll arrive on the full moon and if she's alone, god help us all. But if you can summon her sisters, they'll bring her here with them, and there'll be balance. Vulnerability. No guarantee.

Don't know how. Don't know if it's possible. But you're heroes right? Do something. PLE—

[The transmission cuts off abruptly. The speaker will not make any replies, although imPorts can speak to each other.]

Comments

video;

[cantgetanyworse]

[Ah, dear.]

Tina-- darling, try to take some deep breaths, alright?

video;

[continuousgroaning]

[Good plan. She steps away from the camera a bit, and the gasping noises subside as she takes some breaths, does some mental exercises to try and calm her anxiety.]

... thanks for that.

[cantgetanyworse]

[She had been worried that some more direct intervention might have been needed, but it sounds like Tina has it all handled. Still, she stays on the line until the girl comes back.]

Oh, you're welcome... [Jane smiles faintly.] I don't think I ever asked... How long have you been here?

[continuousgroaning]

2 1/2 years or so. ... so... a long time. I made a life here. Is it really possible for it to all end? Just like that?

[cantgetanyworse]

I... I really don't know. I haven't been here very long at all, but I've been able to read about these... entities. Enough to understand that this doesn't sound like any kind of good news.

[continuousgroaning]

No, it doesn't. I... I haven't paid as much attention to how this world works as I probably should have, but all I wanted was to be left alone to just live my life here until I could go back to my family. I never thought something like this might happen.

[cantgetanyworse]

I don't think that anyone expects something like this to happen... even in a place like this one.

[Sigh. Perhaps they should have.]

[continuousgroaning]

Especially because this world's been here for so long. It has a long history and all... it seems like it should be around forever.

[cantgetanyworse]

But-- well, do we really know how long this world has been here for?

[She's read the notes on Jeopardy. Maybe it's all a lie.]

[continuousgroaning]

That's true. ... we only know how long imPorts have been here. Anything else is just what the people of this world tell us and believe to be true. But that can be changed, too. Jeopardy appeared out of nowhere, but any native of this world would tell you it's always been there.

[cantgetanyworse]

And there's really no way to confirm it either way... [Hmm.]

I admit I have trouble accepting all of this is real... but I've had to accept a lot in the past few months.

[continuousgroaning]

I know that feeling. It's a lot to take in at the best of times.

This could be something someone just cooked up to try and scare us. Not that we shouldn't still take it seriously, but I'm sure there's someone out there who hates us enough to try and trick us like that.

[cantgetanyworse]

I would always say it's better to be over-prepared, wouldn't you?

[continuousgroaning]

I agree. It's... time to try and figure how how to prepare, then, isn't it?

[cantgetanyworse]

I think it is, yes... If nothing happens now, at least we'd be ready if something happens later.

[continuousgroaning]

Uh-huh. It'll be hard, but the alternative is to wait for something to surprise us. If it's real, we have warning. If not... well, if something DOES happen later on, we'll be a bit better off.