Reverie

[ This post has been some time coming. Ever since he volunteered to help Miller unlock the Hangar Bay door last month-- no, even before that, he's been wanting to tell the truth. He'd never told anyone before Miller (and then Alex, and 9S...), but he's never had anyone to tell before. For so long, he lived his life in self-imposed solitary exile, surrounded by millions of people in Tokyo but not letting any of them get too close, for fear they would discover the truth and hate him, fear him, or turn him in to Project Integration.

But now he's in space, and Project Integration couldn't be farther away (barring a few hysterical hallucinations). And he has friends. Friends who deserve to know the truth. The whole truth.

He opts not to use text, thinking it would probably be better to do this as visually as possible. He sits, kneeling in the Japanese style, in front of the camera, hands clenching in the fabric of his jumpsuit pants out of nerves. ]

Hello, everyone. Most of you know me as Hideki Matsukawa. I'm here to— [ He stops, bites his lip. Presses on. ]

I want to come clean. The name Hideki Matsukawa is a lie. It belonged to the man whose body you see now, but that's not me.

Hideki Matsukawa was a bike messenger in Hiroshima, Japan, on Earth. About two years ago, he was hit by a car, suffered major head trauma, and was declared braindead. His body was donated to a group of scientists who called themselves Project Integration. Their purpose was to expand upon the ways in which humanity and technology could be linked. Their main project was to see whether it was possible to install an artificial brain, complete with its own AI, into a human host body.

I... am... that brain.

[ He glances down at his clenched fists, trying not to let his voice shake or his eyes start to water. ]

I'm sorry to have lied to all of you. You thought I was human, but I'm not. I felt I had to lie, because I thought Project Integration was behind all of this, but it's become clear to me now that that's not the case.

[ He lowers his head to the floor in an elaborate bow. ]

Please forgive me! I never meant to hurt anyone with my deceptions. I hope you can accept me now that you know what I am.

[ He stays in that position for a minute longer, then sits back up, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. ]

Please, call me Haruto. That's the name I chose for myself, when I... left Project Integration. That is the name I would prefer to be called.

[ As Midnighter said, it's the name that feels the least like a lie. ]

If you have any further questions, I'll be happy to answer them. I don't want to hide anymore. Thank you.

Alright, I won't waste anyone's time with pointless questions about how or why we got here, but there are a couple of things I'm looking for information about:

1. How many minors and noncombatants are aboard this station? Note, these are separate categories. I don't care how powerful or skilled you are; if you're under twenty, I consider you a member of the former.

2. It'll be helpful for us to have an idea of each other's Quirks. I'm not under the illusion that all of us have reason to trust each other or cooperate, but presumably none of us want to be here, so. If you're willing to provide information on any abilities you might have that could be considered "supernatural" in any way, I intend to compile it for our collective use.

[ The question Haruto wants to ask is simple, but he doesn't want to risk the "Hideki Matsukawa" persona he's built up for himself. So, he posts using his other, anonymous communicator. ]

if you could help, but doing so would put yourself at risk, would you?

Does anyone know this woman?

helloworld.jpg

Her image was sent to my communicator.

[ More accurately, a program file was sent to his communicator, which wouldn't run on his devices or the station's terminals. Only once he downloaded and ran the file on his internal neural network did he receive the message, Hello, world. and her picture. ]

There were people here before, right? So where's all their stuff? Even if they all got chest-bursted their belongings should still be here, but I didn't find so much as a toothbrush in my cabin.

Has anybody found anything useful?

[A little while after that mystery message drops...]

"Neuroscience & Medicine"?

Not "Medicine & Neuroscience"? Or just "Medicine"? Or multiple major branches listed separately?

It caught my eye.

We have a fair number of spacefarers around. Can you weigh in on whether neurological health is usually a top medical concern on space stations?



Unrelated topic, but did anyone else find a book in their quarters? I finished mine and I'd like to trade.


[[ooc: feel free to threadjack/thread with people who aren't erika up in here.]]

I haven't been awake long, but I've been trying to read up on what I can, so a couple of quick questions:

1. Anyone managed to get past one of the locked doors yet? Either with force or another way. I know people were trying, but I haven't heard if anyone's succeeded.
2. I was told something about an organic humanoid capable of exiting the station without protective gear. If so, I'd love to talk to you.
3. Other Force-sensitives, I'd appreciate if we established ROEs immediately.

Thanks.

[A shitty-looking teenager appears on-screen, wearing sunglasses despite the obvious lack of sun in his cabin, dressed in a white tracksuit rather than the standard-issue uniform, smoking a cigarette like he's not even on a space station with maybe limited oxygen supply. He gestures at the camera as if he's already mid-conversation with the audience, amicable and Balkan, just like his accent:]

You miss some shit from back home, right? Whatever you had before whoever-the-fuck ripped it off you. Or, like, maybe some shit you didn't even have before, but you want it now, anyway. What I'm saying is: What're you missing? If your genie or your fairy godmother or whatever came around, what would you ask for?

so, i can't be the only one wondering where our stuff is, right? because i don't know about you guys but i don't usually use a jumpsuit as pajamas, even if i'm taking an impromptu space nap. and even though i'm trying super hard not to think about someone playing nasa barbie while i was unconscious, i can't help but want to know what they've done with everything else.

( Her stele is the thing she's most eager to get back, if she's honest. But she'd take her knife too. Hell, even her actual underwear. )

has anyone come across a closet? or like, a sinister collection of momentos.

Hello.

As several before me have noted: given our circumstances, it is more crucial now than ever before that we cooperate and share any relevant information that could be of benefit to us all. However, the accessibility of this knowledge is also essential. If we have no sense of organization, then we add unnecessary frustration at least and risk at most.

I've accumulated a list of known locations and some general statistical information, which I encourage you to add to at your discretion. I believe it would be in our best interests to know the following about each of you as well:

1. Please list your name and ID.
2. Do you have any medical, technical, or mechanical skills?
3. Do you have any advanced skills in another area that you think would be of assistance?
4. Would you be comfortable using these skills if asked?

Also, I've taken the liberty to sort out how to increase security protocols. If you wish to know how this works, feel free to contact me here or privately.

Thank you.

[ ooc: So, head's up! Permission was granted to have Ryo fix up these filters for you all, but here's your catch (if you're interested): Ryo will be leaving a security loophole or "backdoor" as it were for himself (with your permission) to easily exploit so his ability to eavesdrop will be maximized. Please refer to his permission's post here if you're fine with him doing as much.

Also, if your character wouldn't agree to this? Please refer to the permissions anyhow if you eventually might be interested in this kind of technological eavesdropping. Thank you! ]

Apparently a number of us have been experiencing hallucinations. Some aural, some visual. I happened to be able to record mine...

[ What follows is a shaky, first person visual of a corridor on deck 3. It might have been recorded via the wrist communicator, but savvy viewers will be able to tell that the perspective is more eye-level than wrist level. At first, nothing happens, then suddenly there's a loud CRASH! and a shower of sparks as the wall and ceiling panels explode, exposing wires from behind them. The perspective changes as Haruto falls to the ground, and after a stunned moment, everything is suddenly back to normal. There are no sparks, no exposed wires, no collapsed panels. The video ends just as the sound of approaching footsteps begins. ]

I do not know if others witnessed the same hallucination I did, or something else. But this should be impossible. Anyone with any insight would be appreciated.

( if there's anything to be thankful for on this station, it's the fact that the tech isn't all that unfamiliar. the holotech reminds him of dick, though, which ... is another story for another time. he's still dealing with being alive and stranded in space with a bunch of strangers who are definitely not from his universe first. that, and science. science is always important. stay in school, kids. you might get to blow something up in chemistry.

anyway, he has a bit of a discovery, so he's here to share with the class, like any good scientist. )

Friends, aliens, stationeers, lend me your ears. Or, more importantly, your eyes. ( he holds up a small gun-shaped object. ) I'm not sure what to call this thing yet, but I'm thinking along the lines of Gloop Blaster, trademark pending. Watch closely.

( he aims it at a patch of wall that's seen better days, and when he pulls the trigger, a dark, gloopy liquid attaches itself to the metal. )

It looks kind of gross at first, I know, but just give it a few seconds. ( which is agonizing for a speedster, but he'll live. after a moment, the gloop begins to harden into something more solid and wally pokes at it to demonstrate. ) See? It was sort of liquidy before, but now it's hardened into something much sturdier. Hell, it almost blends in. ( but everything on this station is dark and grimy so that's not hard to do. )

Anyway, I ran some rudimentary tests on this stuff in the name of Science and because I had nothing better to do, and my best guess is it's some kind of rubber, but I can't be a hundred percent positive without better equipment. I can tell you for sure it's heat resistant and waterproof, and if you're a speedster, definitely don't get caught in this stuff. (Sorry, Tommy.) There are a few other tests I have yet to run, but my preliminary conclusion is this stuff is basically like caulk. Space caulk. If you need to use it for any reason, let me know. Sharing is caring.

( he waves, and that's the end of the feed. )

This morning, I received a message on my communicator from the username m.muller. When I tried to message them back, all I received was an error. I don't recognize her, but maybe someone else will.

[So Mako attaches a video file. There's a woman with frizzy red hair and freckles on screen, looking slightly panicked. "My name is Martina Muller," she says, and her voice is calm and slightly accented. There's a sudden crash behind her, and she cuts herself off with a gasp. "You have to warn the others! There is a traitor on board. Wherever you are, there is a traitor on board, you have to–"

And then the message cuts off.]

It seems like not everyone received it, so it wasn't a network wide broadcast. As far as I can tell, it came from the station, but I don't know where.

I also tried to unlock one of the doors. I've figured out which wires control the locking mechanism, but nothing I did to override or overload them seemed to work. Has anyone else had any luck?

Hi everyone. Apollo here. I don't think I've met even half of you yet but I thought I’d share this:

IMG TRANSFER COMPLETE: exterior.jpg

Just in case anyone wanted to see what our new home really looks like.

Has anyone had any luck opening the locked doors? This place looks like it’s way bigger than what we have access to so far. Please do share with the rest of the class if you find anything interesting...

What planet are you from?

Feel free to include sector, star system, everything. Just in case.

I thought this might be a good place to start as far as gathering information goes.