Down in space it's always 1982

[caycep]

((The return of Cayce and Quixote! Wide open RP. If you haven't already, catch up with the adventures of Quixote, Setsuna, Cayce, and Adam here.))

At some point after Pirate Day, an announcement came on over the park PA system.

"Hi everyone. This is Cayce Pollard. I'd like everyone to come to a meeting tonight to discuss a new discovery that's been made about the park. The meeting's in the Honey I Shrunk the Audience auditorium, at sundown. This is pretty important, so please be there if you can."

That evening ...

When Cayce felt a critical mass of audience had been achieved, she stood up, cleared her throat, and began.

"Hi everyone, and thanks for coming. For those of you who don't know him, this is Don Quixote de la Mancha, a ... a true knight and the person we have to thank for this latest discovery. In a moment, I'll let the Don tell his tale in his own words if he wishes, but for now I'll get straight to the point, since I'm sure that's what you're all dying to hear.

"Point is this: Don Quixote and Setsuna Mudou have discovered a complex of passages beneath the park, leading to a door. The door's heavily barred and all our attempts to open it—including asking politely—have met with absolutely no success whatsoever. Any contact with the door—knocking, hitting it, trying to pry off a bar, leaning on it—gets met with the 'please keep your arms and hands inside the ride' announcement that some of you may be familiar with from when people try to walk out the gates, or when ... things happen."

Cayce waited for the reactions to settle down a bit before continuing. "I've called everyone here first to tell about the discovery, and second to find volunteers to look at the door. We really need scientists and magicians." Yep, it still felt weird, saying that. "Whatever's got that door barred probably won't open to anything but sufficiently advanced science. Or magic. Insofar as there's a difference, anyway." Anyone get the Clarke's Law reference?

"So, um, there you have it. Floor's open for questions or discussion. Oh! Before that—Don Quixote, is there anything else that you would like to add?"

***

After the various discussions had settled out somewhat, Cayce finally cleared her throat.

"Okay, so here's the plan. Tomorrow at midday, anyone who wants to join the underground expedition should meet at the statue. It sounds like the time dilation or whatever it is makes time pass more slowly belowground than up here, so I think Adam and Setsuna will be fine. We should take the time to get ready with whatever we'll need to bring with us." Plus, of course, it was Adam. Of course they'd be fine. "Then, once we're at the door and ready to proceed, the—the Master will send a signal to the Doctor, who'll lead the distruption. Anyone has any other questions, find me. Thanks, everybody."

((And there will be a fresh post for the expedition when my life is a little more normal.))

Comments

[i-don-quixote.livejournal.com]

"My thanks, gracious lady." Quixote bowed low to Cayce before turning to face the gathering. He was somewhat wary at the notion of consorting with sorcerers, if indeed such persons lurked among those assembled; but he was forced to admit that, as force of arms had thus far availed them naught, fighting magic with magic might prove to be a necessary evil.

"I greet thee, good people of Disney. Our attempts to breach the portal have yielded but a single fruit. Once, and once only, did the thunderous voice of our enemy falter in its accursed pronouncement. As no cause for this variance was manifest there in our actions, it seems that the cause must needs have lain elsewhere. It is therefore our hope that someone among you was witness to the event, that we might make use of that knowledge when we again make trial of the door."

[i-have-my-flaws.livejournal.com]

Starbuck tentatively raised her hand. Which made her feel awkwardly like a kid in grammar school.

"Um, what do you think might have caused that 'event'? I mean, what do you think could have disrupted them?"

[caycep]

"My guess is, it has something to do with the invisible security." Involuntarily, Cayce glanced up at the ceiling, as if expecting the voice to start up then. "Something must have distracted them. It. Or whatever." She looked around the auditorium. "Anyone tried to go for a long walk lately?"

[i-have-my-flaws.livejournal.com]

"Uh, no but..." She didn't really want to discuss it, but if it had something to do with a way to get out of this place.

Maybe it didn't. Maybe it was all part of the plan. How convenient that things should go a little off when one of their own got there.

But if she could get out of here, if there was even a chance, she had to take it.

"...I was dumped in the fountain recently."

[redo-fromstart.livejournal.com]

Ponder turned up, and was pleased when 'scientists and magicians' came up, because the whole way through Cayce's description, he was thinking of ways he could find a way out of the door.

He waved a hand from where he was sitting, a middling distance from Cayce, and assuming he was going to be called upon for comment, got up and coughed, "I'd be most amenable to attempting to open that door. All sorts of magic might work on such a door, I'd be happy to give it a try. Does anyone have an idea whereabouts the door might be under?"

[caycep]

"Good question. It's hard to say, because we didn't really map the passageways. But if you have some ideas for magic, that'd be great, Mr., um—"

[redo-fromstart.livejournal.com]

"So there's no specific guarantee that the door leads out of the park? Even if it does issue a similar warning?" Ponder was only asking because they were all things he needed to consider, not because he was trying to be awkward. "And Stibbons. Ponder Stibbons."

[anthony-crowley.livejournal.com]

Crowley sat quietly in the back, arms crossed. He didn't give a damn about the door, but these meetings always went bad and he did care about Cayce. So he sat. And he watched.

[late-born-myth.livejournal.com]

Psyche stood, from the middle row where she'd been standing, and said in a soft voice that nonetheless carried rather well:

"Have you all thought much what the consequences might be to opening that door? Aside, I mean, from traps.

"In my experience, forbidden things tend to be forbidden for a reason. You might consider whether the park security, however annoying it might be, has ever acted to harm you.

"And assuming that it does lead to a way out. And even assuming that it's a way out you'd want to take, and not a way to someplace a great deal worse. I have...a very great desire to return home. But are you all willing to take the chance of making that choice for others here who might not have that desire?"

[caycep]

Cayce frowned and shoved her hands into her pockets. Goddammit, Psyche did have a point.

"Okay, true," she said. "If anything, the security's kept people from getting killed. If not hurt." Her gaze flicked up briefly, finding Crowley in the back. She rubbed her hands together. "And ... okay, maybe there's a chance it'd open some kind of black hole that would suck us all through to somewhere else. But what do we do instead? Ignore it? Look for an alternate way out?" She shrugged helplessly. How had she gotten into this position, again? Running things and organizing shit? Oh, right, she'd just stepped up and done it, because that was what Pollards did. Fuck.

"I don't know. I don't know. But we have to do something." Pause. "Okay. I have to do something. And maybe it's not fair of me to drag everyone else in."

She sat down on the edge of the stage with a thump and wondered why she'd decided to call this meeting before she'd even tried to get so much as a nap.

[late-born-myth.livejournal.com]

"I didn't mean to reproach you, Cayce," Psyche said, smiling gently, speaking musically. "We're all excited. So many of us are, for lack of a better word, the heroes of our own stories, that we can't help wanting to do something if that's now, at last, a possiblity."

"But I would remind you that there are people here, or were, who were dead in their own worlds."

[superherogifted.livejournal.com]

Virgil sat in the back, raised his hand, and then said without waiting to be called on, "Just making the point, I'm not a scientist or a magician or anything, so I probably can't figure out how to open the door. But my genius buddy Richie was here a while back, and he built a machine (http://community.livejournal.com/dizzy_land/134696.html) that was supposed to be able to break out of here, I just didn't have the power to make it go. If any of the science types wanna take a look at it..." He shrugged. "Alternately, me and the cute electric girls juice it up together."

((We were always pretty vague on exactly what that machine was, so feel free to make shit up as it serves the plot? If it serves the plot?))

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

"You're going to 'juice it up' without some sort of containment field? Well, that's brilliant." The Master snorted, then pursed his lips. "The Rani and I will have a look at it, if you're so certain it could help."

It was the work of a human child. No matter how 'genius' it was, it was incomparable to something that he, the Rani or the Doctor could do in their sleep. But as long as it silenced the more ridiculous requests.

[superherogifted.livejournal.com]

The guy didn't have to be an ass, though he guessed it was sort of expected from a sci fi villain who would hamster dance his computer.

"I mean the door, however we're gonna try to get out. Between the three of us, we've got a lot of power to spare. And I know how to control my own powers, man," he added. "I'm not a scientist, but I'm not a dumbass, either. Just volunteering to donate whatever charge is needed. But have a look at the machine, I have no idea what it's supposed to do exactly, but it could help."

[lunch-princess.livejournal.com]

Orihime had, of course, shown up and listened to Cayce intently. They had talked to the door -- good, it's what she would've done.

Once she had thought it over Orihime happily said, "We're on a ride?! But there are rides in the ride. That's kinda odd. Did you ask if the door would let us off the ride already?"

For many reasons, she wasn't too concerned what would happen if they opened the door. It was Disneyland, and for all of the being trapped there and whatever else going on, there was no way something evil or dangerous could be beyond that door.

[caycep]

Cayce had to admit, Orihime's brand of logic, special though it was, had some genuine insights. At minimum it was a truly unique sort of lateral thinking.

"No, we didn't," she said. "Suppose it can't hurt, although we did try asking politely if it'd let us out, or through."

[lunch-princess.livejournal.com]

"Well, if it doesn't like politeness, we can always tell it the ride is making us sick and if it doesn't want is to throw up in the seat, it should let us off," Orihime added, pleasantly. Despite her smiles, she really wanted out.

"And what was that other thing? We cause a distraction? What things here get the ride notice? Maybe we should do all of them at once! Over load the system. Some people can mess with the door, and the rest of us can do the other things."

[bonesquint.livejournal.com]

The mention of science perked Brennan up. "I could always examine it," she volunteered. "It's not my particular specialty, but I believe that I have enough knowledge outside of my specialty that I could at least try to be useful." She paused a moment for thought. "Logically, though, as someone else mentioned earlier, it must be barred for a reason."

[markoftherani]

The Rani (who'd been favourably impressed with Brennan before, though she was unaware of the woman's disappearance and reappearance) nodded approvingly, though she didn't say anything.

[caycep]

Cayce acknowledged Kira's arrival with a little wave and a smile.

[a-good-man.livejournal.com]

Daniel had a similar problem as Kira, and when he came in late he made his way up to where John was sitting and slipped into the seat beside him.

"What'd I miss?" he asked in undertone, with an apologetic smile.

[a-lonely-god.livejournal.com]

After the meeting, as everyone was lallygagging and slowly meandering out, the Doctor stepped up beside Cayce.

"Cayce?" he asked. "Got a minute?"

[caycep]

The Doctor caught Cayce in the middle of trying to stifle an enormous yawn. One thing was for damn sure, she thought, she needed to get some sleep before they all headed off on this expedition.

"Wha—? Oh, hi, Doctor. Sure. What is it?"

[a-lonely-god.livejournal.com]

He smiled a little, amused, and tucked his hands in his pockets.

"The way you organize people, keep things together. It's sorta brilliant."