saveourearth | ROAD TRIP (Backdated Log)

Between all the distractions and his own day-to-day business, Russell found reasons to keep procrastinating about the trip. Worries haunted him about whether something would go wrong, if maybe crossing the edge of the network's influence would cause some new and terrible 'echo'.

But he couldn't put it off forever. Not only was Walter enthusiastic about making this trap happen and waiting outside, but...

Sooner or later, Russell's sister would demand a visit over the holidays, and London's well outside the radius. He had to know, before then, what would happen.

Russell heads out the door, bag of supplies hooked over his shoulders and helmet under his arm, and waves at his flatmate like he doesn't see the impatient gesturing. "Nice day, isn't it?"

Walter has similar reasons to be concerned, given his own family's currently (well, supposed to be) in London. And after working with Sam Stone testing the Boundary from the air, well - he wants to know his own potential changes too.

"If we'd wanted to be seen, we could have waited for a nicer time," Walter shoots back, slipping into a slightly faster speaking pace than 'normal'.

"But this should work well enough. You're packed, then?"

His own light-but-thorough pack is snugly attached to his bike.

Russell snorts at the quick wisecrack, because it's true; something like 5 in the morning, with only the faintest light on the horizon, isn't the nicest time of day. It's hideously and uncomfortably early. If they encounter the same brief amnesia that Stone displayed, or Ben and Sadie may have described, his out-of-bounds self will have no idea what they're doing out there, much less awake at this time.

But it seemed safest. A time they're not likely to run into familiar people, or have anyone come across their experiments... but if something goes wrong, the world will be waking up so help might become available soon enough.

"Food, lights, a spare camera to film myself at the boundary..." He's packed for an outing and then some - and packed last night, while still properly awake. "Did we decide which way we're going? A259 toward Hythe, or some other way...?"

"And spare clothes," Walter adds, nodding. He's bringing his laptop and his by-this-point-designated-Network-accessing notebook, for similar purposes as Russell's camera. The clothes are very much a just-in-case, though.

"Towards Hythe works well enough for this - though given how the whole effect's centered over the mouth of Mossgate River, I was figuring we could divert in that direction once we reach the edge if we have the time."

"Of course, that makes sense," Russell says, not entirely following. It's too early in the morning to connect things like Ben's sudden growth spurt to the notion that they might trigger more changes by doing this thing. "Spare... clothes. And going up the river? Did you want to go for a swim?"

He doesn't object to either part of the plan, heading towards his motor scooter and settling his helmet on his head.

Russell can be forgiven for less-than-quick thinking, given the hour... as long as he isn't like that while he's driving his scooter.

"No," Walter answers quickly, "I didn't pack for that. And we shouldn't need to - just seeing what we can see of the river's source."

Having already done a check on his part for any inexplicably-on appliances, and one the night before to make sure that damn bathroom window is shut, the most they'll have to worry about is that the front door gets properly locked.

With it being dark, there's fewer chances of collisions... But no, the breeze from the drive will help wake him up.

"If it's centered at the mouth... Wouldn't it be something down there? Buried in underwater caves, or... something."

Given his new memories, and the first Benjiro described to him, he's inclined to assume there's something more significant in the caves.

The door, at least, Russell took care of. Locking the door as he heads out is an old, engrained habit. Better to embarrass your mum by locking the door on her when you go out and she's in the garden, than to embarrass yourself and everyone by leaving it unlocked when there's weirdos around touching bombs and unearthing skeletons and who knows what.

"We can work our way back along the riverbank, then. Or close to it."

Because that probably wouldn't make for a smooth ride...

Walter mounts his bike, fixing his helmet one last time.

"After you?" And there's the quickest flicker of a grin on his face.

While checking his own helmet, Russell catches that flicker of grin, and squints suspiciously at his flatmate.

"You're not going to ride very close behind me, are you?"

He settles into place, with a final warning squint, and starts the scooter.

"If I get spooked into an accident, I want you to remember Christmas is coming, and your income is steadier than mine. That's all I'm saying."

The implication should be loud and clear, even over the increasing sound of the engine as he begins up the road.

And that grin broadens.

"I was thinking more... the polar opposite of that."

He rolls his eyes in bemusement, before taking off.

He doesn't let himself hit max speed, though! This isn't open road.

Right, of course. After him... so Walter can better show off when he zooms ahead. Russell should have seen it coming.

Competitive spirit strikes, and he speeds up, but scooters just aren't made for the same kinds of speed that proper bikes are. Just keeping his flatmate in sight would be a challenge.

For at least until they make it to empty road, Walter will go easy on him.

After that, though, it's just a matter of not getting lost past the horizon... And not hitting the Boundary with no backup, of course.

After realizing it's a clear loss, and there's no catching up to Walter until near the invisible boundary, Russell abandons his race ambitions and slows to enjoys the scenery.

Much as he does in most aspects of life.

But he'd set his phone to a map destination a quarter mile from where the boundary's supposed to be, so it'd give him warnings as he starts approaching that part of the road. And he slows, looking for Walter, who's likely pulled over a short walk from the edge of the network's influence.

For Walter, part of the fun goes away when Russell stops trying to catch up.

Still, he's enjoying himself maxing out his speed... but not enough to forget where they'd intended to stop.

Russell would find him off the side of the road, dismounted from the bike and waving for his flatmate's attention.

"... I suppose I should go first?"

Hopefully he sounds more confident than he feels - and here he'd thought the ride would help.

One of the risks of winning too well, too quickly, is demoralizing one's opponent. That's part of why most stories about competition focus on those moments when it's neck and neck - that's where the tension and fun are.

Russell squints ahead as he steps off himself, looking for signs of something in the ground or air ahead. But it's nothing, no sign of anything strange going on.

"Oh, uh, I thought... You've been on this side of it before, you know what to look for when someone else crosses..."

Russell trails off, realizing it sounds like he's trying to convince Walter to stay while he's the first to cross.

"But either way works! That's fine! Never mind me. What, uh... is there anything you think would help you make sense of things, when you... can't remember it all? Something I should tell you?"

Walter rolls his eyes.

"It wasn't so much looking as listening, anyhow. And I'll leave my bike over here," he adds.

"That should be reason enough for me to come back. That, and you're still over here, and I'm certain I'll still remember you, Echoes or no."

He hasn't started walking yet, however.

Edited 2018-12-27 01:44 (UTC)

"Look, listen, same difference."

Russell rolls his eyes right back. It's getting to be an eyerolling competition, if only because it distracts from the nervousness of actually crossing that unseen barrier.

"If it can take away that many years, you might get startled by how old you are."

He shifts back and forth on his feet, a little too antsy to stand still, and glances sidelong at Walter.

"...Can't help noticing you're still over here, thought. Second thoughts?"

"Haa, haa."

Turning abruptly to face parallel to the road again, he says, "Don't tempt me," then starts trying to focus on absolutely anything else as he walks - the Boundary wasn't a shield, he shouldn't expect to see any glow, what if a satellite were passing ahead of them right now, could it detect anything, what if he'd done the math wrong and he never reached it, what if something like Zeno's paradoxes occurred and he never got there-

He tripped, eyes widening and mind suddenly blank. Face first in the dirt in... where was he? What time was it? And why on Earth...

"Whoa!" Russell takes a couple rushed steps forward, then stops himself before risking both of them crossing. "You alright, there?"

Seeing Walter fall over like that was a surprise, and not one he'd had any reason to anticipate. Back around that bomb scare he asked Stone if crossing the barrier did anything that made flying a plane dangerous, and the man had said no...

But then, that was months and months ago. Things might have changed, with the sheer amount of time that these changes have happened over. Sitting on a bus or train into London's not the same thing as walking and losing oneself.

Well, it's not as if he's forgotten how to walk, right? This isn't even rough forest terrain, he has no excuse.

Whatever, then; Walter does his best to shake it off - he's spent so much time covering up the physically evident traces of his enhanced speed that from Russell's point of view there should be almost no visible difference.

He does still end up almost clocking himself in the head, though.

"Yeah, I am... Russell...?"

He starts to make his way back to the familiar face - and his bike, why in the world did he leave it just lying there, surely that's what the kickstand's for? - then stops.

"Did you talk me into a long ride, or did I talk you into it? Can't imagine why we'd come this way sightseeing."

His head's a muddle of confusion right now, and he doesn't like it.

"Hold on, don't come all the way over."

Russell holds a hand up, and reaches for his phone, which he navigates one-handed to open the video recording function and start it.

"We came here to test something... Supposed to take turns... You really don't remember anything?"

He shakes his head, because Walter doesn't look different, but it's obvious that Walter's disoriented. Just falling over like that, and sounding so confused.

"How, uh, do you feel?"

... They didn't come all this way just to prank each other, did they? Somehow that strikes Walter as too juvenile for the two of them.

"No. The events of- gods, not just today, the past six months? - are all sort of, vague."

His frown is intensifying as he starts really trying to go back through his memories. Everything seems somehow both clear and... empty?

"Nothing's bruised or broken. Didn't inhale any dirt."

Baseline health check, something familiar.

"Why are you recording this?"

"So you're alright, but everything connected to the strangeness isn't there..."

Russell whistles a drawn out surprise, the camera jostling around in his hand.

"I want to watch this when I'm on the other side of it. See if I remember this conversation. If you don't even remember planning to come here..."

Well, it's like Stone in the plane, forgetting why he was in the air. So it's not just the changes, not just the network, but the decisions they make connected to those things.

"Is 'strangeness' the only word you've got to describe this? Not that it's inaccurate," Walter verbally backspaced, still blinking a little in the early-morning light.

"... Are you done yet?" And yes, there was a definitive, human-normative pause before that sentence. No sign he was making a conscious effort to add that space.

"I'm not just recording you," Russell complains, and pointedly turns the phone around so it's panned on himself. It's going to make for a wobbly video, but that's fine, he also wants his own reactions recorded.

Right now he's making a face, because he's just realized another odd thing - something about the way Walter's talking. There's nothing strange about it. It takes Russell a moment to notice why that's strange, but this morning, the last few months, even a few minutes ago, there was something different about his flatmate's cadence. And now that's gone, and Walter's back to talking the same as he has since whenever they first met.

"It... It's more than strange, it's insane. What would you say if I told you..."

He hesitates, mumbles to himself: "I don't know if you can even see the network right now, what could I show you... OH."

"Would you believe me if I told you, I can make bones appear out of thin air?"

Russell waits, not yet summoning any, because he wants to know what Walter's reaction to that question will be. Whether it'll sound vaguely familiar, or a complete non sequitur, or just something insane.

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Since this isn't a middle-of-the-day type of trip...

the dark of pre-dawn for these excursions

>.> MAAAAPS!

*yep* i have a file w/ the game maps overlapping some IRL maps for reference

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i spent a while looking into all things motor scooter and very distracted myself from tags

very understandable.

off to the boundary?

Yup! Time to enter the t-t-t-timeskip!

after the d-d-d-duel! or, uh, race

... Yu-Gi-Oh crossover. For both of ours. THE AMAZING IMAGES.

One of the YGOs in LC and me have talked of Undertale crossovers with Reira as the fallen human :P

XDD I do not know enough YGO to be properly amused by the image, alas.

TL;DR, numb child soldier... underground adoption by the dreemurrs = huge improvement for her

;;

yeah, exactly. She'd get loving family, they'd get a (also kinda abused) kid who wouldn't buttercups

weh. ;a;

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yep i have a file w/ the game maps overlapping some IRL maps for reference