[Event] Dormscape

[Narrator]

A long strand of nanites glides through the carpeting, sticking to the discolored branches for added camouflage. Bit by bit small pieces break off and disappear into the various rooms. Bit by bit spots of light begin racing down each of the strands over and over, gathering at the tip in a strange bubbly kind of light while the 'leading' nanite in the formation grows until it finally discharges at their respective targets. Students all over, whether they're in bed, sitting at their desk, going through their shelves, fishing out something from underneath the bed, find themselves blinded and seemingly transported into a strange and alien-seeming landscape...


((open, just let me know what your char was doing))

((Making threads in/for other locations are perfectly fine too!))

[Will Stanton]

"What in the blue hells?" Will said, falling tumbling off the couch he had been sitting on a moment prior.

[Drake Martin]

Drake had been at his desk, working on a short story about a swashbuckling rogue, when he suddenly found himself sliding feet first off of the edge of a now giant chair. He cried out, spread his wings, and awkwardly righted himself before he would have crashed into the forest of towering fibers of the carpet below. The itty-bitty dragon muttered a colorful string of vulgarity as he flew towards the doorway into the hall.

[Narrator]

Will finds himself falling off the couch and dropping through the air for quite a bit on his way down. Almost like an inverse of waking from a falling dream only to find yourself merely slipping off the couch. At least the impact on the carpet is relatively soft, cushioned by one of the tightly packed loops of fabric that make up the expansive stretch of landscape in front of him.


Drake manages to catch himself in midair after slipping off the edge of his now enormous chair. There's essentially no updraft whatsoever, which makes flying a little strange and a lot tiring, especially for the several minutes it takes him to cross the majority of his room. Down below he can spot the metallic carapace of the nanite that fired at him, now about the same size as him, twitching this way and that. So far it hasn't noticed him, if it even is searching for him. A more immediate problem is the enormous cliff-face of his door in front of him. The closed door.

[Drake Martin]

Upon realizing he had no way of opening the enormous door, Drake cursed again and dove in for a flyby of the machine.

"Hey! Turn me back you robot asshole!" he demanded futilely.

[Narrator]

The little robot is perched on one of the loops of carpet fiber and while Drake's shout doesn't carry very far, it does seem to hear him, spinning around and focusing it's camera-eye on him.

[Will Stanton]

Will finds himself falling off the couch and dropping through the air for quite a bit on his way down. Almost like an inverse of waking from a falling dream only to find yourself merely slipping off the couch. At least the impact on the carpet is relatively soft, cushioned by one of the tightly packed loops of fabric that make up the expansive stretch of landscape in front of him.

This wasn't the first time Will had found himself tiny, naturally -- shapeshifter! So, he did the first thing that logically came to mind, and tried to grow back to his normal size.

[Narrator]

Doing what he's used to Will stretches and strains, growing in mass and adding to himself and... he ends up maybe doubled in size. Not even really that. Even this much feels like he's playing tug-of-war with some unseen force just to retain the additional mass.

[Will Stanton]

Doing what he's used to Will stretches and strains, growing in mass and adding to himself and... he ends up maybe doubled in size. Not even really that. Even this much feels like he's playing tug-of-war with some unseen force just to retain the additional mass.

"Well, that is damn peculiar.

You know what I'm going to blame for this? Society.

More specifically, the part of society that is my daughter and a labshark tromping around in my head flipping switches."

And with that, Will set off on a long and arduous trek towards his room, hoping Robin would be there so he could give her a piece of his mind. So to speak.

[Natalie Denisov]

Up in her room, Natalie had been up on her desk trying to reach something from one of the higher shelves she'd added to it when the flash happened. At first, she thought she'd accidentally put her knee on something as she waited for her vision to clear. Then, she starts to look around, seeing plastic cliffs around her from the device cases she'd recently opened and the wire jungles created by the devices she'd been recently pulled apart. She walks over to the gulf at the edge of the wooden plateau and looks over the edge.

[Drake Martin]

The little robot is perched on one of the loops of carpet fiber and while Drake's shout doesn't carry very far, it does seem to hear him, spinning around and focusing it's camera-eye on him.

Not wanting to get shrunk even further, Drake veered away to land before the door. The first thing he did was check if he could crawl under the door. Assuming, of course, that the robot didn't try anything.

[Narrator]

"Well, that is damn peculiar.

You know what I'm going to blame for this? Society.

More specifically, the part of society that is my daughter and a labshark tromping around in my head flipping switches."

And with that, Will set off on a long and arduous trek towards his room, hoping Robin would be there so he could give her a piece of his mind. So to speak.

The carpet fibers are just large enough that it's kind of a hassle to move on top of them. Which is nothing compared to the task he's set himself up for once he reaches the stairs, the first one towering above him like a cliff of polished wood.

Up in her room, Natalie had been up on her desk trying to reach something from one of the higher shelves she'd added to it when the flash happened. At first, she thought she'd accidentally put her knee on something as she waited for her vision to clear. Then, she starts to look around, seeing plastic cliffs around her from the device cases she'd recently opened and the wire jungles created by the devices she'd been recently pulled apart. She walks over to the gulf at the edge of the wooden plateau and looks over the edge.

It's a long way down from the desk and the view is a bit dizzying. Terminal velocity at this size is probably far from lethal but that doesn't really assuage the reptile part of the brain from shuddering at the enormous drop off the precipice of the desk. Behind her, amidst the bits and pieces of technology is the sound of something metal falling over. A strangely quiet and small noise considering the piece of metal that tipped over is easily four or five times Natalie's size. Next to it is the culprit that knocked it over. A crab-like robot walking on four legs with a little lens for an eye and two small manipulator arms, a little taller than Natalie herself.

Not wanting to get shrunk even further, Drake veered away to land before the door. The first thing he did was check if he could crawl under the door. Assuming, of course, that the robot didn't try anything.

There's no repeat of the flashing light, but why risk it. Landing near the door Drake can see that there's not much gap, thanks to the little plastic lip at the bottom of the door, meant to create bit of a seal. However, it's not exactly perfect and there's enough room between the carpet fibers to try and squeeze through. It's slow going, however and behind him Drake can hear the robot advancing on him.

[Will Stanton]

The carpet fibers are just large enough that it's kind of a hassle to move on top of them. Which is nothing compared to the task he's set himself up for once he reaches the stairs, the first one towering above him like a cliff of polished wood.

"Figures the Robot Master would polish these things to a sub-atomic shine," Will groused, sighing.

Shifting his hands and feet into suction cups, he began to climb the face of Mount Stair.

[Janice Gilbertson]

There's a faint grunting noise under Natalie's door, followed by the carpet on the near side being stirred.

"Hey. HEY! Anybody here?"

[Natalie Denisov]

It's a long way down from the desk and the view is a bit dizzying. Terminal velocity at this size is probably far from lethal but that doesn't really assuage the reptile part of the brain from shuddering at the enormous drop off the precipice of the desk. Behind her, amidst the bits and pieces of technology is the sound of something metal falling over. A strangely quiet and small noise considering the piece of metal that tipped over is easily four or five times Natalie's size. Next to it is the culprit that knocked it over. A crab-like robot walking on four legs with a little lens for an eye and two small manipulator arms, a little taller than Natalie herself.

Tiny... well, big from this frame of reference robot intrigues Natalie. "I didn't build you, what are you doing here?" She's about to reach for the robot's programming when the sounds near the door distract her, even though she can't quite make them out properly from this distance.

[Drake Martin]

There's no repeat of the flashing light, but why risk it. Landing near the door Drake can see that there's not much gap, thanks to the little plastic lip at the bottom of the door, meant to create bit of a seal. However, it's not exactly perfect and there's enough room between the carpet fibers to try and squeeze through. It's slow going, however and behind him Drake can hear the robot advancing on him.

Drake shifted to human form for extra mobility and squirmed through with new urgency.

[Narrator]

"Figures the Robot Master would polish these things to a sub-atomic shine," Will groused, sighing.

Shifting his hands and feet into suction cups, he began to climb the face of Mount Stair.

It works remarkably well! It's still arduous just because there are plenty more steps to climb, but clinging to the walls is a breeze when you're tiny!

Tiny... well, big from this frame of reference robot intrigues Natalie. "I didn't build you, what are you doing here?" She's about to reach for the robot's programming when the sounds near the door distract her, even though she can't quite make them out properly from this distance.

There's kind of an indistinct buzzing Natalie picks up on before the faint noise of Janice shouting interrupts her train of thought. The robot moves towards her while she's distracted, off in the distance she can vaguely make out some movement at the bottom of the door.

Drake shifted to human form for extra mobility and squirmed through with new urgency.

Success! Losing the wings helps a lot and he manages to evade the robot at the last moment, slipping between the carpet fibers and underneath the door while the robot seems to struggle to push itself into the carpet.

[Drake Martin]

Drake scrambled away from the door. Returning to his preferred shape, he took flight to look for others.

[Will Stanton]

It works remarkably well! It's still arduous just because there are plenty more steps to climb, but clinging to the walls is a breeze when you're tiny!

"So far, so unremarkably good," Will mused to himself, atop the staircase, taking a moment to look down over the vast array he had just climbed. "Why, oh why, didn't I request a room closer to the staircase?" he mused, turning around to begin the long trek towards his room.

[Natalie Denisov]

She glances back at the robot, noting its closer, she holds up a hand. "That's close enough," she says, trying to push the command against the whatever programming the robot has.

[Narrator]

As Will makes his way along the enormous hallway he can spot a bug flying around in the distance. A very peculiar one, with leathery wings and oh hang on, it's Drake, flying through the wide-open space.

Meanwhile the robot advancing on Natalie does halt it's movement for the most part, there's still kind of a restless twitching that seems to urge it forward. She can feel her power pushing out it's programming easy enough, she gets the sense that it doesn't seem to have all that much processing power itself, but it seems tapped into some unknown network where the bulk of it's instructions originate from and push back against Natalie's command.

[Drake Martin]

Drake swooped down to land by the equally tiny Will.

"Boy am I glad to see somebody," he sighed in relief, "I was starting to think it was just me."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Steady, steady..." comes the faint voice as a trail is pushed through Natalie's dorm carpet towards the robot.

[Natalie Denisov]

She didn't choose the codename Intercept because it was cool... well, not *just* because it was cool. Natalie takes several steps to one side as she tries to get a better sense of the network that is feeding this thing instructions and just what those instructions are.

[Narrator]

The data is harder to parse than the usual stream she's used to picking up from electronics. It's jumbled and erratic, but there's one consistent directive she manages to pick out of it and that is simply 'Scramble'. The nanite continues to try and step forward but Natalie intervening keeps it just kind of twitching in place.

[Will Stanton]

Drake swooped down to land by the equally tiny Will.

"Boy am I glad to see somebody," he sighed in relief, "I was starting to think it was just me."

"...I don't suppose this is normal for you?" Will asked, after a moment.

[Natalie Denisov]

'Scramble' could mean many things. Bad if you're eggs, important if you're fighter jets, fun if you're into puzzles. She frowns, glancing over the edge towards the trail being pushed through the carpet. "Who's there?" She calls, her control slipping with her focus.

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Janice!" The voice calls from the carpet.

"Look, if that thing's got you cornered I think I can take it out, but things... might get really crazy for a little bit."

[Narrator]

With her attention shifting the nanite surges forward like a dog let off it's leash and bumps into her, sending her tumbling off the edge of the desk and plummeting towards the forest of carpet fibers below.

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie has time for a surprised cry of "Wha?" before she flies over the side and down towards the carpet. She lands on one of the fibers, sliding down as she disappears into the carpet.

[Narrator]

The impact is... unpleasant, but the carpet-tree-fiber has some bounce that catches the worst of it before she slips off and hits the ground in the dense carpet 'forest'.

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Oh geez," Janice mutters as she winds her way to where Natalie landed.

[Drake Martin]

"...I don't suppose this is normal for you?" Will asked, after a moment.

"Not remotely," he answered, "It's kind of insulting, to be honest. Mighty dragons should never be the size of a gross bug."

[Will Stanton]

"Remind me to tell you to look up the Savage Land when we're done here.

Do you have any idea how this could have happened? Were you doing something strange or unusual beforehand?"

[Drake Martin]

No. Nothing remotely unusual. But it's pretty clear that the normally tiny robot that tried to chase me down had something to do with this."

[Natalie Denisov]

"Oh geez," Janice mutters as she winds her way to where Natalie landed.

Natalie is slowly pulling herself to her feet. "Ouch," she says, rubbing at her forearms and elbows and moving a little stiffly.

[Will Stanton]

No. Nothing remotely unusual. But it's pretty clear that the normally tiny robot that tried to chase me down had something to do with this."

"The...I beg your pardon? The whatnow?"

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Okay so... those things are bad? I'm betting those things are bad."

[Drake Martin]

"The robot. About the size we are now and not friendly if shrinking us is any indication. And clearly not the only one."

[Will Stanton]

"I haven't seen anything like that. Which way did it go?"