riverview | Video;

[ If the state of the office is any indication of the state of the department, the city is in trouble.

The room is papered from floor to ceiling in layers of maps, diagrams, post-its and technical drawings. What table surface isn’t covered in coffee cups, take-out boxes and junk food wrappers is home to more of the same, held down at the corners by pieces of half-finished robotics projects repurposed into paperweights. Three different colours of marker express problems, ideas, arguments, formulas, jokes and doodles over every inch of the large windows looking out over the city.

It’s been a long forty-eight hours, and the three men standing in front of the camera are in only slightly better shape than the workplace disaster zone around them. A giant topographical city map covers the wall behind their backs, dotted with push pins and bits of string radiating out from the centre.

Off camera, a voice many will recognize as Clark Kent, reporter for the Riverview News and volunteer camera-man: 3, 2, 1, and rolling.

Left; Michael sits on the edge of a desk. Seemingly in his element in the midst of chaos. Focused. He pins the camera with his eyes before speaking. ]

This is Michael Scofield, Structural Integrity Project Lead of the Wall Research and Development Department.

[ Center; Tony blinks, pulling his gaze up from the paper he was scribbling on (honestly, paper) to pay some attention. He’s not in great condition, with electrified hair and dark circles under his bright eyes, but manages a tight smile.]

Uh, Tony Stark. Um, I do what he said, except different because I deal with weapons and defense and-- Whatever, I work with these two in order to keep this place as safe as possible from the shit that is out there. [ A gesture behind him, to the map on the wall.]

Well, mostly out there. Because thanks to this shit that--

THAT-- [ Right; Ray seems to realize instantly how loud that just was, laughs, and then tones his volume down a little. ] --Michael will tell you all about, in a second. [ There’s one clear meaning to the quick and slightly confused look he’s giving Tony: I thought we talked about this?!? ]

Right. [ Can you hear him rolling his eyes, Ray? Can you? Because he is, even as he steps back with a huff. ]

But hi! I’m Ray! Tony and I are both Perimeter Defense Engineers and Coordinators — haha, that’s kinda funny, it’s like we can coordinate each other or something — anyways! [ Back on topic. Anyone who’s able to see them right now can probably tell … Ray’s overcaffeinated. ] We’re here to ask for all of your help.

[ Michael stands up, pushing both Tony and Ray off to one side, and out of the way of the city map. He’ll be illustrating the key points of the following report with a laser pointer. ]

Two days ago a breach in the wall exterior was discovered. One thing people should know about the wall is that it’s not a solid mass. Within the wall is a network of maintenance tunnels for internal repair and reinforcement, many dating back to the wall’s inception. With the latest defense improvements, as well as the addition of the outer fence, most of the tunnels were sealed, but a few were left intact for research and development purposes.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the recent power outages. Riverview’s utilities are largely automated, self-sustaining, and renewably resourced, with the majority of treatment, processing and distribution occurring beneath the city.

We don’t know the exact timeline, or scenario, but we can hypothesize that in the past six months to a year, a local predator got inside one of tunnels, and through it was able to find access to the city’s underground infrastructure. There, it bred. Both Tony and Ray performed fly-throughs, and estimate the number of offspring somewhere in the range of five-hundred to a thousand.

It’s impossible to tell how much damage has been done without clearing the area. A failure to act may result in a loss of power and vital resources to Riverview. That’s where you come in. We’ve tried several methods of mass extermination, but with the risk of contaminating the city’s water supply, our options are limited. Our best bet is to gather a force large enough to do a full-scale manual extermination.

We’ve brought our findings to the Riverview council and they’ve granted us as many of the Perimeter Guard as they can spare, and clearance to seek assistance from the general public to fill in the gaps. We’ll need people who can exterminate, people who can perform urgent repairs, and people skilled in first-aid.

I’ll be performing structural integrity tests as the extermination progresses to ensure the safety of the operation. Please keep explosions and seismic damages to a minimum. You can volunteer here, or at your local Perimeter guard.

[ Michael steps back, giving Tony and Ray the floor again. ]

I will be looking for people to help make repairs in critical areas, trying to keep the power grid operational and the attacks minimal. I need people who are good with electrical engineering, work quickly, and can handle themselves in a fight if need be.

[ There is a pause before: ] Steve, I’ll message you about some things later.

[ Then Tony ducks out of the camera’s view, possibly for a shower, possibly for more coffee. He doesn’t return. ]

[ Ray waves to Tony as he leaves, like that’s normal, even if Tony can’t see him doing it. But then he focuses on the camera again. ]

I’m looking for chemists, city planners, maybe some … runners? [ Lightbulb moment. Really. It’s the best idea he’s had all day. ] Yeah, runners.

I’m so close to finding a formula that can put the monsters to sleep, instead of the rest of us. [ aka Ray is stuck and he refuses to admit it. ] And they’re in an enclosed space! We have to be able to use that and build some kind of delivery mechanism. Just- you know- without … knocking out all of our friends who are fighting the monsters ... instead of the monsters themselves. Anyways. Let’s do a team up!

[ Michael can't help but smile at Ray. Now that everything is more or less said and done, he almost looks as tired as he feels. Still, he keeps his head up and eyes focused. ] This is our city now. Let’s do our best to keep it safe.

What Michael said. And uh, just remember. When fighting monsters, safety is number one!

[ The 'Underground' Mission will be available as a prompt in the next TDM! Anyone and everyone is welcome to take part, make up their own related missions, etc. This plot was a collaborative effort between the players and the mods, thanks guys! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Be still my beating heart. I never turn down blueberry pancakes.

I'll pass on breakfast in bed, though, I don't think you get up early enough.

Deal.

Get up? I haven't slept in two days.

Ah, so you're one of those, same as Tony.

I'll be by with dinner and sedatives. [Is he joking? He's probably joking. 98% joking.]

[ Ouch Bucky, hit the nail right on the head. ]

I am NOT the same as Tony.

Dinner would be appreciated. You can keep the sedatives. I've got too much work to do before I crash.

You don't act like you can survive on two hours of sleep and a whole lot of coffee? Color me surprised.

I'll bring dinner. Promise you'll actually get some sleep soon.

I don't brag about it.

Also, I closed my eyes for thirty minutes only six hours ago. That's got to count for something.

I promise to try to keep that promise.

Sure, I guess that counts.

[It doesn't count at all. But there is in fact a problem that needs to be solved, like ASAP, so he won't push it too much harder than this. They can handle the brainwork and Bucky and everyone else will support them.

But he does show up about an hour later, knocking on the door to the office. He's got a large paper bag in the crook of his arm. Remember when he said he was bringing dinner?]

[ Michael yanks open the door to the office, prepared to be irritated. He's already told the janitorial staff they don't need to make the rounds. The office is in a functional state of chaos. Messy by necessity. Move anything, and it'll get lost in the fray, wasting everyone's limited time and mental resources finding it again.

Bucky, holding his paper bag, catches him completely off-guard. Michael stares at him for a moment, his brain whirring like an overheated CPU, until he makes the connection to the conversation they'd had only an hour ago. His face reorganizes itself into something along the lines of friendly.

'Functionally' chaotic may be an overstatement of their current operating capacity. ]

Uh, hi. Come in. Watch the floor. There's... stuff on it.

[He gives him a wry little smile and steps inside, careful of all the stuff on the floor. Geniuses at work, watch your step.] I won't stay long and disturb your flow. I have a briefing with Captain Apple in about half an hour.

[It's hard to find a bit of available surface in the cluttered office, but when he does, he partially unpacks the bag he brought - bottled drinks, and what seem to be sack lunches from a deli. Nothing fancy, just sandwiches, chips, fruit, carrot sticks, cookies. They're labeled by name, one for Tony, one for Michael, even one for Ray, though he hasn't met Ray.]

Brought food, though. Do me a favor and make sure Tony eats?

Thanks. Really. The last delivery guy showed up at a bad time, and I don't think he'll be coming back. There may have been lasers involved.

[ Michael picks his way over the carpet of technical drawings and clears off one corner of the closest, and least overflowing desk. He's not a messy person unto himself, but surface space was limited, not to mention shared, and they've all had to make sacrifices. Some more vocally than others.

He picks up his bag and peers inside, pulling out a carrot stick and chomping on it with a thousand-yard stare at Tony's back. Michael hadn't realized how hungry he was until there was food in his mouth. He's already digging around in the bag for more as they're talking, pulling out a cookie. ]

I'll add it to the list of things I'm trying to make Tony do.

[ He'll make sure Tony eats. Even if he has to cram a carrot stick down his throat. It might be a cathartic experience. They get along well enough, most of the time, but the pressure is getting to them. Michael's not sure what causes more friction, their similarities, or their differences. ]

I forgot what real food tastes like. It's been a while. The caff at Fox River wasn't anything to write home about.

[ Michael stops mid-chew, frozen, a brief flicker of panic behind his eyes, until his self-preservation mechanism kicks in and his motor functions resume with an easy smile. ]

Did you put this together yourself? It's just like mom used to make.

Of course lasers were involved. [Honestly he's not surprised. He might not have braved this mess himself if he weren't trying to make sure the resident wall geniuses didn't overexert themselves.

And it's funny that he mentions 'just like mom used to make', because if he digs to the bottom of the brown bag with his name on it, there's a handwritten note - "Don't wear yourself down too much." Not immensely sentimental but meaning well. After all, he likes Michael. They've worked together, they live on the same floor. It'd be a shame if he keeled over.]

Was your mom a deli? [It comes out teasing.] Bought the sandwiches and raided the fridge. Nothing fancy. I learned to cook in an Army kitchen, so trust me, buying instead of making means I care.

I don't remember what she was, to tell you the truth, but I can tell you she wasn't a deli.

[ Michael laughs, half out of relief, half out of the simple pleasure of talking about something, anything, that wasn't the project or their progress. There's no escape from the constant barrage of information, even if he closes his eyes, the blueprints are burnt into his mind. He can't rest knowing the sheer amount of ground they need to cover, not to mention the miles upon miles of hardlines and pipes requiring inspection.

Michael's halfway through demolishing his lunch when he finds the note at the bottom of the bag. He stops eating, setting his sandwich aside to read it. He scans Bucky's handwriting once, sharply, as if he were reading an important document, then twice, more slowly, with soft eyes.

Michael rubs his hand over his mouth, takes a too-quick breath, resolves himself not to cry even as his vision gets hazy at the edges. The best he can do is laugh, and smile, and crease the note between his fingers. It won't end up on the floor. ]

Thanks. For caring.

[Bucky laughs easily at the joke, maybe because he barely remembers his own mother. He makes sure Tony's lunch gets deposited somewhere over by his work station (or his current pile of crap, same thing to Bucky), and he's heading out when Michael finds the note at the bottom of his bag beneath the food.

If he notices the play of emotions across the other man's face, he doesn't acknowledge them. It's not a big deal, he thinks. Just a- friend, of sorts, looking out for someone doing an important job to keep everyone in this city safe. He gives him a small smile, pausing in the doorway, no intention to linger and make things weird. He has a meeting soon anyway, that hadn't been a lie.]

You're doing important work. We've got your back.

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