un: keith || video followed by voice

[fighterpaladin]

... What the Hell?

[Keith’s image comes on screen before it disappears once he realizes the device on his arm also has a video feed. Instead, he makes sure the thing transmits only his voice which sounds anything but happy right now.]

What--... What is this? What happened? [This time.] Is anyone getting this?...

[Two seconds.]

Guys...?

[A second and a half.]

C’mon! Lance? Pidge?...

[A second.]

Hunk? Princess?

[Half a second.]

Come in!

Comments

audio; un: alucard

[reposing]

Who you seek may not be here.

I take it you have just awoken. Your confusion is understandable.

[fighterpaladin]

... Do you people all say the same thing?!

[Sorry, Alucard, but this boy is temperamental and he is getting frustrated at hearing the same thing over and over and over again.

Besides, the possibility of his friends not being here is worrisome, to say the least. If they aren't here, where are they? He needs to get to them.]

Did you simply appear here too? [Seems to be a common theme.]

[reposing]

[Flatly:] Only when people react the consistent manner as soon as waking up here. Take a cold comfort that your friends are likely not here. They have been spared.

An astute conclusion. Yes.

[fighterpaladin]

[And his mouth is already open and ready to sputter out some sort of annoyed come-back when his brain fully wraps itself around the actual weight of the man's words. It stops him in his tracks.

He is quiet a moment, before--] ... What do you mean? Spared from what?

[reposing]

There have been unfortunate occasions on this station. Sudden strange and unknown illnesses that have caused metal to grow under the skin, decaying and congealed blood; foreign objects found within the body; inhibitions removed through means unknown.

In addition to those who suddenly wake up here, there have been others who also suddenly disappear with little to no indication where they may have went. For better or for worse, at least your companions shall not suffer by being here.

[fighterpaladin]

[... Well. That's alarming.]

And you haven't been able to find out the source of all those things?

[Because that seems far too specific to be random, doesn't it? More importantly though--] Why have some of you been spared, then? [Since, clearly, to him, if you have those terrible things happening to you, you won't be surviving it, and he has been talking to a lot of people who, well, are not dead. Since dead people don't talk. Right?]

And how often do people appear and disappear?

[reposing]

Not precisely, no. I've been able to conclude that at times the replicators will be affected and the chemical compound in the food can cause reactions at times, but it did not explain the illness. I was able to diagnose, but little else.

Very few of us have been spared. I am not completely human, so I am able to survive things most could not.

Mm. Too often, I'm afraid. Perhaps a dozen a month?

[fighterpaladin]

... Replicators? [... What's he talking about? And why doesn't Keith like the sound of it at all? It brings back... very uncomfortable memories, even if it has nothing to do with that at all.] And you're saying the food here gets you sick? [Great.

The rest doesn't make it better, either.] How many have died?

[... And that does sound like a lot. Way too much.]

[reposing]

The replicators create food based on your dietary needs. We have improved them, but they are still a bit unreliable. There isn't much else we can do in regard to that matter for now.

...Two, that I know of. I suppose it's worth noting that death doesn't always seem to be a permanent feature here. People will return to life, for better or for worse. How, I do not know. But people will disappear, and I do not know if that constitutes as death or not yet.