i am the oncoming storm

[autokinetic]

There are three Bells in Milliways.

They want a fourth. A fifth. A sixth. A seventh.

And then Downside is going down.

Comments

[self_composed]

"Sandy and Anna are people from my world who look like you and Eights, respectively, and they're on my payroll. They help me with magic stuff. Sandy lives on a Jovian moon, designs buildings with spare magic, there's a giant chess set, he's got four surprisingly realistic imaginary friends, gets along famously with my boyfriend who is an alt of someone you met not long ago, does any of that sound about right to you?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

Eights serves up a plateful of pancakes for Juliet. They are tasty and warm.

[nowait_letme]

"I meet a lot of people," Chainsaw says dryly. "I guess I don't get along with most of 'em. What's his relationship with power tools?"

[self_composed]

"I don't involve myself in the details," Stella says archly. "My guess is that it would be a friendly-like relationship."

[cross_and_bow]

Mmm, pancakes. "Thanks!"

[nowait_letme]

"Then I bet you've got the right guy," he says. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

[self_composed]

"Nothing in particular. It does mean that if we successfully take over and you have something to say to one of us you've got a better-than-average chance of queue-jumping," shrugs Stella. "Since someone of your template's in with someone of ours."

[cross_and_bow]

"Amariah and Aegis are covering the catacombs, but maybe we should scope out the wakeful population for alts," muses Juliet. "If nothing else we should tap the Sherlock that Shell Bell found."

[ending_of]

All at once, seven different people with the same face are collected from their various locations into a single room.

It's a large, round room, about the size of the lobby at the base of the tower. The entire outer wall is one large window, showing that the room is in fact at the top of the tower, with Upside spread out far below one half and Downside far, far below the other.

There is an eighth person in the room, sitting in a comfortable chair looking inward from the edge of the room, with Upside to her left and Downside to her right.

[ending_of]

Well... technically, yes she can.

Yoink.

[ending_of]

All of a sudden, Stella and Juliet are no longer present.

Yoink.

[ending_of]

Some time later, their efforts are interrupted.

Yoink.

[autokinetic]

...Jane?

[mind_game]

Jane tries.

Jane can't. They won't tuck away.

Just to check, she picks up Nathan and puts him a millimeter to the left and then puts him back, just for a fraction of an instant that he'll notice but his human companions won't. He works normally.

I can't unstick you.

[luminous_regnant]

Golden's not party to the link, and while this is being tried she attempts teleportation under her own power and gets the same result.

[jovahs_heiress]

I think I gave it away. I neglected until it was too late to wish up a house and a working res code to go with my fake papers. I'm sorry.

[self_composed]

Stella's the first one to try talking.

"Hi," she says. "You must be the admin."

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan's as surprised as everyone else.

"Well," he says.

[ending_of]

"That's right," she agrees. "And you're the ones who keep stealing people out of the queue." She focuses on Angela. "Mind telling me what exactly you hoped to accomplish by messing with my housing system? It works very well the way I designed it, and I don't appreciate having to waste my time undoing your changes."

[jovahs_heiress]

Angela closes her eyes. "We knew some things about Downside. Less about Upside. I meant to look around."

[nowait_letme]

Chainsaw blinks.

[temporal_affairs]

"They're talking to the admin," Nathan reports a moment later. "We'll see how far they get with that, I guess."

[ending_of]

"I see," she says. "Well, you didn't think it through very well. I'm not impressed."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Not far, I bet," sighs Eights.

[dark_light]

"Oh? How would you go about overthrowing Hell if it were you?" asks Amariah.