bumfuckidaho | TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

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TEST DRIVE MEME, APRIL 2017.

TEST DRIVE MEME

There was an accident. That's basically the only thing you know for certain. Maybe a car wreck - metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the screaming. Or maybe there was an explosion. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. You can't can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can remember.

It's also the last thing you remember from before you wake up here.

When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed – the nursing staff greets you with a cheerful smile.

Welcome to Wayward Pines, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here.

option one
WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES

The hospital staff had seemed very friendly, but ultimately unhelpful when it came to answering your questions, insisting you shouldn't worry about such things, and that it was smarter to just rest until you'd fully recovered.

That was some time ago. You've since managed to leave the hospital – either via escape, or simply by waiting patiently and filling out paperwork until they finally agreed to release you. Now you've found yourself in the small but hearty town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. It's a charming little place, and the people there are all friendly enough, more than willing to greet you on the street, or give you directions if you need them.

Unless you're asking for directions out of town, of course.

Some will simply smile and give you a hearty pat on the shoulder and ask why you'd ever want to do a thing like that? Others will get quiet for a moment, and direct you to the nearest sign posted near the doorway of every building.

Don't bother taking the road, either. Whether you walk or get your hands on a vehicle, you won't get anywhere. The road simply takes you away from town for a short while before looping around and bringing you right back in.

There's no use questioning things, and it seems pretty useless to try to leave. So really, why not stay a while? Everyone's convinced that you'll find something to love in Wayward Pines.

(For the purposes of this test drive, you're welcome to handwave the existence of basically any local business or activity.)

option two
INTO THE WOODS

You've just heard a scream from the woods.

I mean, it could've been an animal. There's bound to be some kind of wildlife amongst the trees, right? But then again, it did sound awfully... human.

Though all of the locals nearby conceal a flinch at the sound, they'll assure you it's nothing, if you ask them. Why, you're probably just hearing things! (But with an anxious undertone of stop asking questions.) If you're curious, though, and brave enough to go see, they won't make any move to stop you from going into the wooded area surrounding the town.

The trees are tall, and their branches are thick enough to block out a significant amount of sunlight from breaking through the canopy, leaving the forest floor a little dimmer and cooler than the streets of town.

Whatever the source of the scream was, you won't be able to find it out here. An experienced hunter might notice some signs of a struggle, and a few faint boot prints, but they don't really seem to lead anywhere in particular.

What you will find, if you walk far enough, is a fence. A big one - at least 30 feet tall, made of metal and concrete. It goes on quite a ways in either direction as well; follow the wall far enough, and you'll see that it connects with the steep, sheer cliffs that surround the rest of Wayward Pines, effectively boxing the town in.

In actuality, you'll probably feel it before you see it. A full 500 yards from the wall, when it's hardly a shadowy smudge through the trees, you start to feel a little bit tired, a little bit weak. Trouble is, the closer you get, the weaker you feel - like the wall itself is sapping the strength out of you, and the closer you get, the worse it feels. Any powers you may have had grow weaker in kind as you make your way to the fence, but even ordinary humans will find their strength sapping away. By the time you're close enough to read the signs and to feel the crackle of electricity radiating from the thick wires criss-crossing the wall's metal surface, you're too weak to stand.

Do you crawl closer still and risk electrocution, or do you crawl away and assess the situation once you're far enough from the fence to be able to stand?

option three
PTA BAKE SALE

It's that time of year again. The time when everyone digs into their wallet, ignores their diet, and spends a little time supporting the local school bake fair. You know, for the good of the children. And it doesn't hurt that Linda's Blondie recipe is honestly to die for. The school PTA has pulled out all the stops this year in the hopes of encouraging a good community turn out, posters advertising the sale plastering every street corner and stuffed into every mailbox for a solid week leading up to the event, and today is finally the day.

There's at least two dozen different tables set up with all manner of delectable treats, even one or two offering vegan alternatives for those inclined, not to mention a few others catering to some of the townspeople's more... unique palates.

Maybe you've got your own table set up with your wares, or maybe you were simply lured to the park today by the appetizing scents wafting through the air. Either way it seems like the whole town has come out to show their support today and why wouldn't they? Children are our future, aren't they? Or maybe it's just Linda's Blondie recipe.

Yeah, that's probably it.

option four
ON THE NETWORK

Though it's not as high-tech as you might be used to (or hell, maybe you're ren faire and it's centuries beyond anything you've seen), but Wayward Pines does in fact have a network to accommodate its citizens.

Go ahead, post a network post! Just note that the network currently has two basic functions. The first is audio-only and can be accessed from the telephones in each character's home. If an audio-based medium doesn't suit your needs (or aesthetics), be sure to take advantage of the Wayward Pines Message Board from your brand new laptop for the chance to communicate with your fellow townspeople in a text-based format instead!

( a few notes )

Welcome to our third test drive here in The Pines! Just one important thing to note:

Upon arrival in Wayward Pines, characters find themselves struggling to remember entirely who they were or where they came from. Memories return progressively over the next two weeks. You're welcome to play with this mechanic in any of these prompts, but it's definitely not mandatory! For more details on this temporary memory loss, see our FAQ.

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[ when she hears the scream she can’t help but to flinch like those around her. it’s startling and the fact that it didn’t sound like an animal, but instead a human, makes it all the more unsettling. she frowns, looking around the crowd, from face to face, to see if someone ( anyone ) is going to leap into action, but… ]

Hey! [ she had almost lost faith in these people, but when one man breaks away from the crowd she finds herself running after him. instinctively, she reaches for her wrist comm, to call her mech, only to remember it hadn’t been sanctioned or some bs. ] Slow down! [ he reminds her of jack in more ways than one, and that brings a smile to her face. ] Gramps, slow down! How is it all you old guys can run so fast? I call hax! HAX!

[ He stops just inside the tree line as he hears himself being called, goes through the mental acrobatics to realize that she's calling him 'Gramps', and pauses. He pauses half a foot or so off the ground but... brush? Maybe? At this point, it'd be more awkward if he drops so he stays as is. ]

Did you hear it too?

[ He's straining to catch something but- ]

I'm not sure which direction it came from but something tells me it's nothing good.

[ when she catches up to him she doubles over to catch her breath. ] I, yeah, it… [ it’s hard not to notice that he’s floating in midair and, for a moment, she can’t keep from grinning. ]

How are you doing that? Is this a simulation, because [ she waves her hand flippantly as a sheepish laugh follow. ] I couldn’t find a way to access the command console and turn god mode on, not that I need it, [ she amends. ] but this place gives me the creeps and… [ focus, hana, focus. ] I did hear it. It almost sounded human. Do you think someone’s out here, hurt?

[ ...there are any number of options for how he's doing that, of course. Lots of explanations. Unfortunately, not a single one actually occurs to him at this moment, which is why he goes with honesty. It feels better anyway. ]

Apparently, it's something I can do.

[ His shoulder set as she continues. ]

But if there is something or someone hurt out there, there are more important things to do. I'm not hearing anything at the moment, but I didn't see anything on my way in.

[ He points through the trees towards a couple of winding paths. ]

If you want to take one fork, I can take the other, and we can watch one another's flank and cover more ground. I have a feeling we want to keep one another in sight.

[ she appreciates his honesty and that, coupled with his genuine concern, make it easy to agree to his plan, …though she’s not entirely too keen on splitting up. ]

Once we solve this mystery I demand a piggy back ride! [ because she’s the most mature. ]

But, ok, we can do that. I’ll take the left. [ she jumps atop a fallen log and, standing on her tip toes, tries to see what’s in store for her. ] This would be much easier if I had my mech… [ that, and she’d feel infinitely safer. ]

So whose name should I scream for help when I find the spook? [ she back over at him as she heads along the path etched into the woods. ] And, yeah, I get the feeling too. Something’s not quite right here.

It's a deal. [ No argument there. ] But you can call me 'Kal'.

[ Which despite being on all of his paperwork, even on the things he'd picked up at the sherrif's station, hadn't felt... quite right? He doesn't love it. It makes him feel oddly... apart. ]

What about when I need to shout for help?

[ Hey, they're in this together. ]

[ she pumps her fist in the air and smiles. mission accomplished – well, ok, not really. ] Kal it is, and you can call me D.Va. [ striking a post and giving him a peace sign she stifles a chuckle. she doesn’t remember her real name at the moment, but it’s bound to come back to her. eventually. maybe. ]

Do you think there’s a monster our here or just, like a guy with a machete?

I don't have the faintest clue.

[ And that... he's not much of a fan of that, honestly. Because his senses are very good. Very very good. If he wanted to focus on finding out the exact flavor someone was ordering at the ice cream parlor this very minute he could. Which makes this weird. ]

But that's why I want to stay in sight of one another.

[ But there's no reason to drop his manners, after all. ]

All the same, it's nice to meet you D.Va.

Me neither, but here’s to hoping it’s no monster. [ as cool as they could be she didn’t revel in meeting one face to face without her weapons. ] Yeah… [ she trails off, scanning the immediate area for any signs of a struggle. ] If we were able to hear it from all the way out there, then it couldn’t have been all that… h- hey, Kal, I think I found something. [ stooping down she frowns, a few blood spatters strewn across the leaves and trees. ]

[ He's there in an instant, almost startlingly fast, because now that she's called his attention to it, he can smell the blood. Almost unbidden, his senses focus to look at the blood like a microscope... but he has no context for what he sees. It's just blood. Though, as he watches the oxidation process- ]

That's fresh. Which means they might still be alive.

[ Or out here. And that includes the person who caused the harm as well as the person bleeding. ]

From now on, we don't go too far from one another. But let's see if we can find a trail.

[ in an instant is right! ] Fresh… [ so it could belong to the ‘ thing ‘ that screamed. ] Or it. [ she frowns, because there’s a dozen different scenarios playing through her head and none of them are good. ] Good. I mean, yeah, that sounds good. [ she sweeps her eyes over the immediate area, but doesn’t catch anything ( beyond the blood ) that’s out of the ordinary. ] They can’t be far either.

[ He turns to look at her, taking stock of how she's feeling. Usually, he's hesitant to mention the things he can do, but right now, maybe she needs a little reassurance. ]

Hey. Don't get too worried. I can do a little more than float. If things get hairy, I've got your back.

[ Then he's gesturing for them to start looking again. ]

Thanks. I wish I could assure you of the same, but… [ she crinkled her nose and kicked the nearest stone. ] but the sheriff refused to give me my light gun. I mean it’s going to take a little more than some nondescript accident to take my skill away. [ she raises her hand like she’s holding her gun and, jerking it back, she makes a pop sound. ] But, still, I’ll do my best. [ she salutes him. ] No one's taking out this army of two.

[ He holds up a hand, a fist, and gives her a smile. Fistbump? After all, she's got that right. Once that's done- ]

Let's get going. I think I see a trail this way...

[ And he's going, but he's going slow, keeping an eye out and stretching his senses as best he can. He's still not as practiced as he would have been with his memories intact, but he's still no slouch. ]

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