For me, it’s only been a few hours since my last post, but I felt like making this one as well. I don’t know how long it’s been on the outside. Apparently Fracture’s going to take control of Phoenix in a week. Took control of Phoenix in a week. Whatever, stupid tenses. Given our current state, I can’t really complain.

I’ve been doing a little talking around while we waited for the scouting teams to report back. Much as I loathed doing so, I did have a short conversation with Ahriman, so I could ask him where he’d learned to fight like he had against Arkady.

Ah: “Bosnia. 1992 to 1995.”

I have absolutely no idea how anyone is supposed to respond to that answer, so I let him get back to coordinating things. It almost makes me wish I had also interviewed him about his past before this. Almost.

Lepidus was busy doing attending to the wounded, so I was only able to talk to him for a little while. A lot of proxies are hurt, but most of the injuries are minor. Unfortunately, that’s because none of the proxies with major injuries were able to make it to us.

D: “So what happened there?”

L: “I wish I knew. I’ve never seen anything like this, and no one I’ve talked to has either. I thought it might be the Path of Black Leaves, but it doesn’t match the descriptions I’ve read. Too many colors, and there aren’t any leaves on the trees or ground. Maybe Truth knows more, but no one’s heard from him.”

*Lepidus had to splint a broken arm, but once he finished he started talking again.*

L: “How are you holding up?”

D: “I’ll be fine. I’m just a little shocked. What about you?”

L: “I’m too busy right now to worry much. I expect as soon as I run out of patients I’ll start panicking, but I’ll deal with that when it comes.” *He stared out a window at the swamp for a few moments.* “I keep looking for familiar faces amongst my patients, but I’m not finding many. We won’t be able to get an official count anytime soon, but I think we lost two or three dozen people down there. I’ve never seen that many of our people killed in such a short time. Not even Arkady managed anything like that. I just wish I knew why.”

We only talked a little bit more after that. Next was a conversation that I was almost dreading. Since I’d found the group, Sky had been standing right by a window, looking directly at the red sun as it moved through the smog filled sky, barely moving.  An empty space had formed around her; I think most proxies were too creeped out to come near.

D: “Hey, Sky.”

*She turned around to face me. Her eyes were bloodshot, and that close I noticed that her hands were shaking slightly.*

S: “Yes?” *Her voice seemed slightly different. As if it was more focused than usual.*

D: “How are you feeling?”

S: “Weird.” *She looked up at the ceiling, with her head tilted slightly.* “This place is… familiar. My head doesn’t feel as foggy here. And I can remember things better.”

D: “Oh. Um, what sort of things?”

S: “… The kind that make me remember why I wanted to forget them in the first place.”

D: “Ah. Are you going to be alright?”

S: “… Maybe.”

D: “Um. This may not be the best time, and if you don’t want to talk about it, just let me know. But… what happened to you? Lepidus said you were having a seizure, then you started saying those things, then everything went crazy…. There was a comment someone left, I think it was Rose, asking if you summoned the Boss. Um….”

S: *She barked a single laugh, but the smile from it quickly left.* “No. I didn’t call him. Not that time.”

D: “Wait, that time…?”

S: “But I did feel us moving. Being taken… here. Felt it like a bomb exploding in my head….” *She looked down from the ceiling, and her voice started sounding more like what I was familiar with.* “I’m scared, Diana.”

Before I could say anything to that, I heard Ahriman saying that he’d gotten a call from one of the scouting teams. They’d made it down to the lobby, but there was no sign of the Boss, or of any of the people who had died there. They had requested permission to continue scouting outside, but Ahriman had told them not to risk it, and return back.

A few calls to the other teams confirms that they haven’t reached their destinations yet, which is odd, because the lobby group had the most ground to cover. Maybe they just moved faster, or maybe something weird is going on with them as well. We’ll find out when more reports come in.