voice; un: rocipilot

[donkeyballs]

 Hey, ya'll.

[ Hi Reverie Fam, it's your resident faux texan Martian, here, his warm drawl caressing your ears. For those of you that have them and can still hear out of them, anyway. ]

So I've been thinkin'. 

We've been gettin' access to some new areas, but I'll be honest and say that there's on in particular I've been most interested in gettin' in, but we might need a team to do it like we did for the door to Operations. We need to get into the Hangar Bay. We know there is one - the map up in operations made that clear, and I'm pretty sure I even know the exact door we need to get in. We just need to get in  it.

So I thought--

[ He cuts off sharply with an ow!, and then there's a clattering noise as the communicator hits the floor. Silence for a couple seconds, and then in a breathless whisper that sounds like it's coming from several feet away: ]

Holy shit, where did these come from? [ There's another rustling and clattering and the next time his voice is audible, it's from much closer to the mic. ]

Folks, I think we've got a ride. 

I think we've got two rides, and--

Wait, what? Where the hell'd they go??

[The audio disconnects.]

Comments

[donkeyballs]

[ He lets out a sigh. ]

Yeah. I know.

But we do right now. It ain't just us, on this station.

[marineris]

So you want us to stay here so we can send someone else to check it out?

[donkeyballs]

[ Ugh. When she put it that way - - ]

No. Not really.

I guess we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it. But we ain't even got Osteo-X or anythin'.

[neuralnet]

Do you mind bringing some food? I haven't eaten in a while.

[charlieoscar]

All your limbs and digits accounted for? It's the least they can do, jerking you around.

[Humor as he considers how to say what he wants to next.]

Speaking of, I've been wanting to apologize, about before. I could have handled that better.

[onlydoubts]

It's not likely everyone would want to go, either way. We don't know what the atmosphere will be like, or what kind of planet it even is. We don't want to subject everyone to that risk.

Around how many would you say would fit in a ship?

[ he pauses ]

More or less what we've got here. Though I've had training in zero-g, and I've flown in all sorts of conditions before.

voice; un: nines

[twoaffirmations]

[The hangar... If they got access to that, they could leave. Even if it's only to the nearest planet's surface, at least it's a change of scenery. He can't take being cooped up in here any longer. He can't take being useless any longer. Even though a human has hurt him, he still...wants to reach out to them, and please them. He wants acknowledgement for a job well done, but he's done nothing to earn that.]

How big were the ships? Single or multi-passenger? I'll see what I can do about getting that door open, but...how were you able to see the ships if the hangar's inaccessible?

text; un: nines

[twoaffirmations]

[9S won't mention the lies. Haruto left them completely open; he didn't even have to try to find them. But right now, he just doesn't care. It's just another thing to disappoint him, and he can't handle much more of that.

He needs to focus on what's in front of him. A way out, and a way to help the humans--even the ones who've hurt him.]

Haruto, I can help. What's your location?

[neuralnet]

[ Here's someone else he's going to have to tell the truth to. Haruto sighs before he sends back a text, supposing it had to happen sooner or later. ]

I would appreciate that. I'm outside the hangar door, on Deck six.

/thread

[twoaffirmations]

[...Still, he can't help but wonder.]

I'll be there shortly.

[donkeyballs]

Yeah, I'll bring you some.

Gimme twenty.

[donkeyballs]

Alright.

[ There's a pause, and then he walks forward purposely and says "Hanger Bay". Nothing. He does the same with "Need to get into the Hangar Bay", and again with "Observation Deck." All nothing.

He sighs. ]

That woulda been too easy, right?

[donkeyballs]

Yeah, I got all the bits I can see, anyway. [ It's a mild joke. ]

[ He pauses, at the latter. ]

Hell, Mike, you don't gotta apologize. I'd be space dust, if you'da let me go out there. We were all goin' nuts.

Of course you coulda handled it better, but you were in just as bad a way as I was.

No harm, brother.

[neuralnet]

Thank you.

action

[lostsymmetry]

[The network is always active, but some data warrants more attention than the rest. Some transmissions, even more so. Hank had already been listening as Alex started on his theories, but the exclamation sharpens his attention with a spike of concern. Awareness fractures, a rapid, station-wide scan of the available cameras—

—just in time to see the human reappear.]

...Alex?

[The voice comes from Alex's left: a communication panel just starting to flicker with the familiar blue shape.]

Are you okay?

[donkeyballs]

[ He hears the voice, blinking, and turns around on the spot until he sees the panel and walks over to it. ]

Hank? Yeah, I'm fine. Assumin' I didn't just have a stroke, anyway.

[donkeyballs]

Multi-passenger, for sure. Some kind of shuttle, maybe, or a drop ship. Looked like at least 20 passengers, each, but kinda hard to say for sure when I only got a quick look at the outside.

Uh -

Well -

Your guess is as good as mine, partner.

But I think I may have teleported.

[twoaffirmations]

And teleportation isn't an ability you had prior to this? You know, just checking.

[And just to make sure no one is rash...]

We'll have to make sure the planet's surface is hospitable before sending any organic lifeforms down.

[rickitikitarr]

Motherfucker.

[Agrees Ricki, without rancor.]

Okay, if that didn't do it, then what the hell just happened?

[donkeyballs]

Twenty, maybe thirty. Not sure, would have to get inside to see. Either way, they're not gonna fit all of us.


Yeah, alright. What we've got here is about what we've got on Mars, but Earth is twice again as heavy. Hard to tell what it'd be like on the planet by lookin' at it, since I can't tell the density, but. Have a feelin' it'll be closer to earth.

[donkeyballs]

Hell if I know.

I don't know why the hell anythin' happens on this god damned station, I just walk into it, apparently.

> action

[donkeyballs]

[ Twenty minutes later, he arrives - plate in one hand, a glass of something resembling juice in the other. ]

Hey.

[ He sounds a little awkward as he steps over. ]

This alright? It's as close to lasagna as I can ever get it.

[donkeyballs]

[ He gets a helpless snort of a laugh, in reply to the first question. ]

No. I ain't ever had any of those special tricks that everyone else here seems to. Just normal.

If we're lucky, any ships we find might actually have a decent sensor array. Might be able to get a good scan of the planet.

Though god knows how much wishes count for.

[rickitikitarr]

My plan was going to be to get someone into one of those suits again on some kind of tether and go out to map the place externally, peering through the windows.

I bet we could check for a big external facing bay door for something like a hangar.

[donkeyballs]

We got one. Down on the sixth level - the door's visible from the outside, it's just closed. Apollo and I took a flight to see if we could find an emergency hatch, but no luck.

You seen the map up in operations, yet? Might give you the general layout.