Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #142: GN1 Controls QN2? (3/20/01)
Elte carefully adjusts the trivet on which balances a concave metal dish filled with flash powder.
Elte slips back to the super-sized camera, perched on its tripod, and makes some adjustments there.
Sayward stays as far from being in the picture as she can. Behind Elte is a safe bet.
Elte looks around the chill, dark cavernous interior of the partially finished tunnel.
Elte shakes his head as a big splat of water drips on him from above.
Elte: You say that at this point we are actually underneath the Snake River?
Sayward: Yes. But not near the middle.
Sayward knows there is a lot of work left before they even get close to it.
Roliver mutters about the vagaries of O-T Gens and Elte in particular. How it became his job to locate, hog-tie and take the donation of this Gen out of thousands he still can't figure out.
Elte: And that when the excavation is complete you will break through to the river and all the water will rush down these channels, emptying the riverbed?
Sayward: That is the plan, yes. [knows that the best laid plans...]
Roliver has finally gotten what appears to be a solid lead on the whereabouts of Elte. He heads toward the mouth of the tunnel.
Roliver is an unremarkable Second Order channel who has managed to piss off just the right set off people to get sent up here to the hind end of nowhere.
Elte whistles in awe. He imagines the force of the mighty Snake River hurtling through this enclosed space.
Elte: What keeps the ceiling from caving in right now?
Elte wipes another splotch of water from his head. He will have to be careful that none gets on the camera lens.
Sayward: The bracing system. You probably noticed all the steel supports. [notes the water drip] Of course water will leach through just a bit.
Elte eyes the rivulets of dampness on the walls with a calculating eye.
Elte figures that when he lets off the flash powder, they will reflect back the light, delineating the cavern walls nicely.
Roliver is not at all fond of enclosed spaces. Well, any enclosed space that isn't a nice warm, dry, well lit Sime Center that is.
Elte: I heard that on that job in Cago, the one under the lake, they actually had to use air pressure to keep the water from flooding the whole thing.
Elte makes another camera adjustment. He hopes he has enough flash powder to light the voluminous space.
Sayward: Yes, I read about that project. I know one of the engineers. It was quite a challenge.
Elte: I heard they had to make the structure air-tight and use steam pumps to build pressure.
Sayward: Yes. They paved the walls as they went.
Sayward: Since these are only temporary tunnels we won't be doing that.
Roliver zlins his prey, er target, er never mind.
Roliver is a bit shocked to find Sayward with Elte though.
Roliver hadn't thought her the type to fall for Elte's charms.
Elte is satisfied and takes his flint lighter out of his pocket.
Sayward hears someone coming up behind them. She turns to see Hajene Roliver.
Elte: Okay, that should do it.
Elte strikes the flint and sets fire to the fuse on the flash powder.
Roliver: Good day Ms. Mullins, Mr. Andover.
Sayward: Hello Hajene Roliver. [wonders why the channel is being so formal]
Elte steps quickly to the camera as the fuse begins to sputter and, finger on the trigger, prepares for the detonation.
Elte barely is aware of the other noises in the room, as he is listening for the telltale shwoosh of the flash powder starting to ignite.
Sayward closes her eyes in preparation for the blinding light.
Sayward is about to warn Roliver about the flash....
Elte snaps the shutter frantically as the metal dish explodes in a white-hot burst of illumination.
Roliver was not prepared for the sudden blinding flash. He is now totally unable to see a thing.
Elte: ~~triumphant~~
Elte: Timed it just right!
Roliver tries to sort the white flashes before his eyes from the ambient he is zlinning.
Sayward notices the channel flailing about.
Sayward: Are you all right Hajene?
Roliver: No! I am not bloody all right!
Elte: Those jutting granite outcrops, and the water trailing down them!
Elte is seeing a few spots before his own eyes.
Elte: Miz Sayward, it's going to be a masterpiece.
Roliver is less than three hours out from transfer, alone because his assigned Donor has the sniffles and he didn't want to bring her out in the cold and totally unhappy about having to track down Elte for his donation. Again!!!
Elte turns back to the Construction Manager.
Elte: ~~jubilation~~
Roliver grits his teeth and tries to get a grip on the situation. Elte's nager is not helping. He is higher field than he should be.
Elte notices the figure standing by Sayward; kind of hard to make out in the dim lantern light among the little yellow and green drifting afterimages burnt into his retina.
Sayward: Is there anything I can do to help? ~~concern~~
Sayward is very low field. She donated two days ago.
Roliver: Is there something I could sit on?
Elte recognizes Hajene Roliver.
Roliver hates the fact that he is having trouble zlinning as well as seeing. What was that anyway?!
Elte: Hey, Roliver, a pleasure to see you!
Elte: This is a historic moment.
Elte: You've just seen me take what may be the definitive modern industrial photograph of our age.
Elte figures it will take a ribbon in the photojournalism competition, at least.
Elte never thinks small, however.
Elte will have to get the film into the darkroom to be sure, of course.
Roliver tries to regain his mental balance. Elte's field is battering against his senses more and more forcefully. He wishes the Gen would calm down.
Elte notices that the channel doesn't look very well. The last few lines of dialogue begin to penetrate.
Sayward watches the channel's distress. She knows better than to offer any physical help unless requested.
Elte: Hey, are you okay? You can sit on my jacket!
Elte had noticed that the damp tunnels aren't exactly the most comfortable place to lounge around.
Roliver shakes head and motions Elte back.
Elte shrugs out of his warm leather jacket and wads it into a packet that would make a kind of cushion.
Roliver: No that's okay. I just have to get my sight back. Give me a moment.
Elte can't see very well, but the Sime looks distinctly peaked. Sheesh, these channels are delicate creatures.
Elte: ~~warm concern~~
Roliver leans up against one of the steel supports. It is a bit damp but not as wet as the tunnel walls.
Roliver takes a deep breath as Elte's concern blows through his systems.
Elte thinks Roliver is a bit of a nervous old fart, but he's gotten rather fond of him over the months.
Roliver has to remind himself that Elte is not a Donor but a donor.
Elte hopes Roliver hasn't over-extended himself in some weird channel way.
Roliver has miscalculated his ability to work without a Donor's support. He is now trying desperately to save face on many fronts.
Elte: I thought you Simes didn't have to see? Or could you zlin the flash as well?
Elte finds this idea fascinating. He has been trying for months to get a real handle on just what Simes experience when they zlin.
Roliver: I wasn't prepared for the flash. I'm having the same difficulty you would if you had looked directly into it.
Elte: Sorry, man. I didn't realize you'd come in, or I would have warned you.
Roliver just nods, which makes the white flashes swim about.
Elte wonders if they should just wait for Roliver's eye-sight to return, or take the channel to the infirmary.
Roliver goes completely hypoconscious. This leaves him in the dark completely.
Elte: ~~full attention focused on Roliver~~
Roliver gasps in surprise as he is thrown duoconscious.
Roliver: What the...
Elte remembers that channels are doctors, so might as well ask the expert.
Elte: You gonna be all right, or what should we do to help you?
Elte has learned not to apply Gen remedies to Simes without asking first.
Roliver: Just, back off will ya?!
Elte blinks, surprised.
Elte: Okay.
Elte can understand someone not wanting other people to make a fuss over a scratch.
Roliver: Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you.
Elte steps away and begins to unwad his coat.
Elte: No problem.
Elte: You got taken off guard.
Roliver gropes around for something to get his mind off his sight. Then he remembers why he is here in the first place.
Elte begins to slip his arms back in the heavy leather sleeves.
Roliver: Well, it wouldn't have happened if you had come in for your donation.
Elte: Oh, that!
Roliver: Yes, that!
Elte frowns slightly.
Elte: I told Hajene Sylma I would take care of it. You didn't have to follow me here.
Elte fully intended to drop by the Collectorium, but there were a few things that couldn't wait....
Roliver grits his teeth. Even though he was raised out-T he has absorbed the attitudes of his peers.
Elte has been accused by his aunt, his teachers and others throughout his career of being thoughtless. It is a baseless charge, of course.
Roliver: You should be more responsible!
Roliver: You aren't safe running around here high field.
Elte raises his eyebrows. The man is really upset.
Elte: I'm sorry to have worried you, Roliver, but I'm quite all right. Really.
Roliver: No you are not!
Elte uses the tricks he has been learning.
Roliver: What happens if you get hurt or....
Elte: ~~calm... calm... everything's all right~~
Elte tries to think what Sectuib Riyyh would advise in this situation.
Roliver trails off as Elte's field gets a hold of him.
Roliver: Stop that!
Elte reaches out to place a comforting hand on the channel's shoulder.
Elte: ~~innocent~~
Elte: Stop what?
Roliver: This is just what I mean. You are affecting the ambient and you have no idea what you are doing!
Elte: ~~ slightly miffed ~~
Elte: Well, I know I'm still learning, but I hope I know something by now.
Roliver misses Pomma with a vengeance. She would have shielded him from the manipulations of this Gen.
Elte however withdraws the hand. He obviously doesn't have it right yet.
Elte stops trying to project positive emotions. He figures he will have to face the channel's annoyance as if he were another Gen.
Roliver pulls himself together as best he can. This is the wrong part of his cycle to have to deal with this sort of thing.
Elte has had plenty of experience sweet-talking people who were pissed at him.
Sayward keeps her distance and watches the two men sparring. Well it looks like sparring.
Roliver: Look, I came to take your field down. I shouldn't have to chase you all over this shenned site to do it. You are supposed to come in like everybody else.
Elte turns on his most engaging grin.
Elte: I know I've been careless. I'm terribly sorry.
Elte remembers this ploy worked well on his aunt, who was just as touchy as Roliver.
Roliver is not placated.
Roliver: Every renSime within zlinning distance is complaining!
Elte: Complaining?
Roliver: Yes, about you and the way you shove your field in their faces.
Roliver: Are you trying to get attacked? Do you want to tempt some poor Sime into killing you and then dying from it?
Elte has been working among the renSime construction workers and refugees and hasn't noticed any resentment.
Elte blinks in astonishment.
Elte: I haven't....
Roliver: Yes, you have.
Elte: Well, that was certainly not my intention.
Roliver: I would hope not!
Elte: Some of the Narosians have been instructing me about in-Territory manners. Obviously I have more to learn.
Elte: My most sincere apologies.
Elte: ~~regretful~~
Roliver: Do you hunt Elte?
Elte: Well, uh, yes. At least, I have.
Elte much prefers shooting with a camera than a rifle.
Roliver: Do you know the proper way to carry a shot gun?
Elte: Yes, certainly.
Elte's weapons instruction started when he was still a child.
Roliver hunted in his youth. He rather enjoyed it.
Roliver: Why do you carry it a certain way?
Elte: To avoid shooting something by accident.
Roliver: Exactly. Well your nager is evey bit as dangerous to Simes as a shotgun. More actually because it can hurt a lot more people.
Elte frowns slightly.
Roliver: So don't you think you should be a bit more careful with it?
Elte: But I thought there was only danger if the Gen was frightened of Simes. And I'm not.
Roliver: Every emotion you experience is broadcast on your field. Ever go somewhere with a really loud obnoxious drunk?
Elte: Sure.
Elte in fact does this fairly frequently.
Roliver: Well it is like that for every Sime within zlinning range of you. You are very loud Elte.
Elte is puzzled. He likes carousing with loud obnoxious drunks. He likes loud music, commotion, and excitement of every kind.
Elte does realize his tastes are not shared by everyone.
Elte: Well, I don't want to disturb people, of course.
Roliver follows Elte's emotional trail. He realizes that Elte is not getting the point -- yet.
Elte is not bothered by the adjective loud; they said that when he got his drum set too.
Elte: So if you want to take my donation now, Hajene, I am at your service.
Elte: And I'll be on time next month.
Elte: ~~slightly chastened~~
Roliver takes a deep breath. Finally!
Roliver eyes Sayward. He isn't sure how she might react to watching a donation.
Roliver: Will this bother you Ms. Mullins?
Sayward: Not at all. I watched a lot of donations when we first got up here.
Elte reflects on his sorry record of compliance with the Tecton regulations.
Roliver nods. He can't tell if he is still blind or if the near dark of the cave is keeping him from seeing clearly.
Elte considers the trouble Plum got into not going by the book, and the thought crosses his mind that perhaps Roliver does have a point.
Roliver has to shake himself as Elte's self-recriminations snipe at him.
Elte shrugs out of his coat again.
Roliver wonders why this Gen's field should have such an effect even if he is less than two hours out from transfer.
Elte: Miz Sayward, would you hold this?
Sayward: Yes, certainly.
Elte hands the heavy coat to Sayward, and stands there with the cold draft whistling through his thin shirt.
Sayward takes the jacket and backs up to the far wall of the tunnel.
Roliver holds out his hands to Elte. He hopes the Gen can see better than he can. Of course, Roliver is zlinning intently at this point and know exactly where Elte is and what he is doing.
Elte undoes the buttons on his shirtsleeves.
Roliver waits with his hands still out.
Elte stares at the Sime's beckoning hands.
Elte: You know....
Roliver: What?
Elte: I'm not afraid or anything like that.
Roliver checks that his tentacles are still sheathed.
Elte holds his hands out to the channel.
Elte: I have to say there's something about donating that just sort of bothers me.
Roliver: Bothers you?
Roliver thinks this is the first he's heard of it.
Elte: I never thought I would feel that way. Simes never bothered me before I came here.
Roliver waits for the Gen to spit it out. His patience is getting thinner by the moment.
Roliver: So what is it exactly that bothers you about Simes now?
Elte waits for Roliver to get on with taking the donation.
Elte: I don't know. Can't put my finger on it.
Elte feels the hair on his arms stand up as if the air were charged with electricity.
Roliver: Well, let's get this donation done and then you can consider it to your heart's content.
Elte: Any time, Hajene.
Roliver takes Elte's outstretched hands and takes another deep breath. This is not going to be easy.
Roliver: I'm going to make lateral contact now so please don't move.
Roliver gets a good grip with his handling tentacles and then extends his laterals to make the contact. The instant he does something shifts.
Elte shivers a bit as Roliver grasps him. It might just be the cold in the room, but Elte doesn't think so. Simes just feel... different.
Elte focuses his attention on the weird way touching Roliver makes him feel.
Roliver shakes himself internally and quiets his internal flows in preparation.
Roliver tells himself this is just a routine donation like the thousands that he has taken before.
Roliver: When you are ready make lip contact. I will wait.
Elte: I'm ready.
Elte moves forward and makes the lip contact.
Roliver starts the slow nearly imperceptible draw that is the norm for all donations.
Roliver is aware of something shifting in the field balance. It's probably nothing.
Elte finds the odd sensation growing stronger in the full contact position.
Elte is bothered by the teasing, elusive touch; he wants to feel it clearly and strongly.
Roliver feels the fields sliding off kilter as if... That isn't possible. Elte's field has gotten a bit higher than normal that's all.
Elte: ~~craving something but not sure what~~
Roliver get pulled under by selyur nager. What?!
Roliver is now fighting his reflexes. The draw speed increases dramatically before he can get a hold of it.
Elte: ~~bewildered but relaxing into it~~
Roliver slams on the brakes. The abort sends fire through every nerve in his body but he takes it and the backwash currents as well.
Elte shudders as the donation terminates suddenly and the channel collapses in a fit.
Elte: Roliver!
Elte starts forward, then stops. He is not sure what is wrong with the channel, but he is sure it's his fault.
Roliver is concentrating on trying to breathe.
Roliver isn't doing too well in that department right now.
Elte remembers Roliver's order to stay still and tries to hold in position.
Elte wishes he knew how to help. He can tell the channel is in trouble.
Sayward move toward the two men. She puts her hand on Elte's shoulder.
Elte: Where is his Donor?
Sayward: Don't touch him.
Roliver gets slowly to his knees.
Elte wants to touch Roliver. He doesn't understand why the channel broke off the donation. It was starting to feel right.
Roliver: It's -- I'm all right. [big lie]
Elte: No you're not, Roliver.
Elte: Where's your Donor?
Roliver: She's waiting for me. Didn't want to bring her out here -- she's got a cold.
Elte has seen Sosu Nick fuss over Controller Arat enough times to know the drill when a channel is in trouble.
Elte: Want me to go get her? Or help you get to where she is?
Roliver: No! Don't touch me!
Elte: Okay. Tell me what to do.
Roliver: I can get there by myself.
Roliver knows that it is going to be the longest walk of his life.
Elte eyes Roliver dutifully. He doesn't look well.
Elte: [dubiously] If you say so.
Sayward: Why don't I get you a ride back? We have a cart outside.
Elte has interviewed many tough guys in the course of his career, and he knows that channels have their own type of pride to maintain.
Roliver: No, thank you. I can make it on my own.
Elte wonders what he did wrong.
Roliver tries to save what little dignity he has left. Of course when Arat finishes with him he will have none.
Roliver stands shakily and heads toward the tunnel entrance. He doesn't even look back.
Go on to Episode #143: Maneuver
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