1. Time Lapse
2. Hollywood and Vain
3. Power Play
4. Tomb Raided
5. Clones Down Under
(Red Alert 2 campaign ends)
6. Trick or Treaty
7. Brain Dead
(primary universe shifts)

tags: ooc, yuri's revenge

The world is pretty well fucked, with the exception of the USA. (And that's only because an idiot ran into the power source with a plane.)

You have two timelines going on at the same time: Red Alert 2 canon (General Carville dies, invasion of Moscow, yadda yadda), and expansion pack canon (moon bases, saving Microsoft, clone vats in Australia). This means that there are TWO Rachels running around. And yes, it's confusing.

Saving Microsoft (Massivesoft) also means Seattle is saved from Aagh Nuke.

The war (Red Alert 2 canon) ends during YR Mission 6. You have to save the peace treaty signing from Yuri. Lt. Eva gets mind-controlled into revealing the signing location. In return, she fucks royally with Yuri's plans and finds where HE's hiding once she's back to normal. (Yuri calls up the commander and taunts you, saying he might let you live as a zombie. Fat chance, Baldie.)

Allied campaign ends with Yuri locked up where he can never control people again. (He also gets laughed at by Allied soldiers. It is AWESOME.)

The timelines overwrite one another, and YR becomes the dominant canon. Carville lives, Yuri's invasion never happens,and the President is confused about why the general's on the phone and not dead. RA3 renders all of this moot, sadly. (Poor Einstein.)

In the Soviet missions, you get to fight dinosaurs and go to the moon. Let me reiterate that: you fight dinosaurs and go to the moon. AND you get to feed Yuri to a T-Rex. BADASS.

I...

St. Louis...

-anyone hear me? I repeat, St. Louis has been compromised. Fall back! Fall back out of the Beacon's range! I can't-

-headaches are the first symptom. Please! Lt. Eva! General Carville. Agent Adams is gone. I repeat, Adams has been converted. Fall back now!

-handle this. My head feels like it's going to explode. I'm pulling out. Meet at-

- ...

...won't... I... I...

-bye...

location: St. Louis, Missouri music: "Still Alive", Lisa Miskovsky tags: !verse: st. louis, audio post, operation: free gateway

There's no briefing for this one. I'll write it in my own words.

The Soviets had taken over Chicago. They were building a Psychic Amplifier in the ruins of Wrigley's Field. A Psychic Amplifier is a larger version of a Psychic Beacon. It would have taken effect on most of the Eastern United States. This one would have been less subtle of an influence than the Beacon that was destroyed DC. It would have turned everyone into mindless slaves.

We forced an amphibious landing across Lake Michigan from Canada. Lt. Eva stayed in CentCom while I escorted my men to the battlefield. Landing was made with little loss of life thanks to the Rocketeer Squadron who removed our comandeered Grand Cannons from play. Destroyers moved in and helped to mop up any remaining Soviet forces on the beach.

MCV was deployed at 1250 local time. A forward base was established quickly and perimeter defenses established to fend off any Soviet forces seeking to destroy the base.

Main attack was launched within two days. The Amplifier was destroyed within 2 minutes of Lt. Eva's estimated time of deployment. Crisis was averted.

General Vladimir of the Soviet Union sent a transmission to my command channels. He did so shortly before launching a nuke at Chicago.

Estimated losses were at approximately 100% on the ground. Only the crews on the destroyers were spared from the blow.

My men...

...I failed them.

location: Classified mood: crushed music: "Tears Of...", Akira Yamaoka tags: commander's thoughts, grief, operation: last chance

I don't have the answers that they think I do. I don't know how to handle this mission except the way that we are. It's hard seeing the men heading off into battle and knowing that some of them won't be coming back once it's accomplished. The captain called me "ma'am" during the daily briefing today. Maybe he understands a little what it means to be a leader in battle.

The recruits, the IFV ops and the tank crews, they all call me "sir". Maybe all I am to them is a voice over the radio giving orders and asking about their status. Only the people I've met, the people who've talked to me face to face, call me anything except "sir".

Lazarus was brought back from the dead. How ironic they named the emergency protocol after him. Maybe that's what I am: a chance to rise from the dead and do... something to stop this.

We're almost there. Once the President's been secured and the Beacon's been destroyed, it'll be quiet in DC again. Maybe then I can sleep for a while.

Until then, I'll keep my troops safe from harm.

location: Classified mood: morose music: "Running Blind", Godsmack tags: commander's thoughts, journal, my mind is my own, operation: hail to the chief

Plan is as follows. Authorized personnel only allowed to read this.

1. Regain contact with unaffected troops in DC metro region. Believed that approximately 50% of all troops unaffected by Psychic Beacon. Highest ranking officer left standing is Cpt. William Harris.

2. Troops are to convene at Jefferson Memorial as rapidly as possible. IFVs confirmed as fully operational. Reinforcements via paradrop cleared once general area is clear and safe. Theater commander will be Cmdr. Brown, with tactical support from Lt. Eva.

3. Primary goal is the destruction of the Psychic Beacon. President Dugan will be airlifted out of the LZ once Beacon and Soviet forces have been neutralized.

4. Secondary goal is the reunification of all forces in the DC area. Once mission is complete, all troops are ordered to fall back to the Pentagon for the time being.

I've never handled a mission of this size before. The rescue of Colorado's AF Academy was a simple mission. Agent Adams and the rocketeer squad really made infiltration and recapture a cinch. Taking out the Soviet base was tricky, but doable. But this? I can't fight my own men as easily. I know how they work, yes, but I know them personally, too. I'll visit their graves once this is over. I promise.

A PINpoint... it's a fascinating little machine. Who knew something so small could do so much? It's like a pocket Chronosphere for one. I wound up in a few strange places before I figured out how to get home again. There was a place hip-deep in shrimp. I wound up in San Francisco, but what was odd was that there was smoke coming from Alcatraz. I wonder what that was about.

I also found St. Louis, but I didn't want to stay. The men acted wrong and my head, it... I couldn't focus on my own thoughts very well. Once I figured out why my thoughts were so wrong, I got out of there. The last thing we need is for me to fall under a Psychic Beacon's control. I'll have to be more careful with this PINpoint from now on.

The janitor's closet on Level B4 is the portal. It moved there from the mess hall once I got back to CentCom.

I'll have to visit once the mission's over. With the coats, of course.

location: Classified mood: nervous music: "Starbase- Under a Red Sky", Star Control 2 remix tags: commander's thoughts, operation: hail to the chief

Briefing w/ Lt. Eva occurred at 0850 this morning. Originally in touch w/ General Carville, but was rerouted to CentCom when it became obvious that ops in DC had been compromised. Forces in region (including Carville and President Dugan) are under Soviet influence. Eva identified perp as Soviet psychic named Yuri.

Yuri also ID'ed as one who thwarted pre-war efforts to repel Soviet forces. Believed that Jerry Boyd original victim of psychic influence.

The President was on the television this morning, all smiles and cheer. He's being mind-controlled. So is the general. I know Carville, and he would never be so gleeful about the country being overrun by foreign invaders. ...I almost went to DC before this happened. The Pentagon is still standing, and I would have been given my own office. So much for that.

A Psychic Beacon brainwashes everyone in the vicinity into obeying the Soviets. Soldiers turn their guns on friends, civilians turn into mindless drones... is this what they did to the Southwest before the war began? It's terrifying.

I had some training to resist mental influence. Thank goodness for small favors. If they find out we moved CentCom to St. Louis, we'd all be in a sorry shape.

location: Classified mood: calm music: "Autumn Effect", 10 Years tags: commander's thoughts, my mind is my own, operation: hail to the chief

You have reached the inbox for Allied Commander Rachel Brown. I am not currently able to answer right now. I am either on the field or in CentCom. Please leave your message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Priority is given to General Ben Carville, President Michael Dugan, or Lieutenant Eva. If you have suspicious info to report or intelligence, please contact Agent Tanya Adams instead.

Thank you.