[ISS] Hand-Over (Mar 3.5)

Rich

Mark,

You charge down the hall. heading back towards the dorms in order to take a hard left and snake past the cafeteria to the iso chambers. You pass Jace and Tunde as they're walking back from speedball practice, blow past Bea and Aiden, who are chatting in the hall, Bea leaning against the wall, Aiden a little close to her. They look at you, but nobody would question a corporal. Rumors will fly.

You burst into the iso chamber to see the row of cubes, a couple lit with bodies inside, the others dormant. Priscilla murmurs softly, starts to stir.

And Corporal Tek walks over to close the door to the iso chamber. Locks it. Uses a device you've seen in the corporal's manual to turn off the cams.

What do you do?

Coalhada

So. It looks like Tek is in on it. Another agent of... unless he is the voice. I think back and try to remember if it ever spoke to me while he was around. I don't think it did. But you could say that about most people on the ship. And if Tek knew the things the voice does, he'd have arrested Pax already, for one.

I stand very still, holding tightly onto Pris.

"So. What do we do?"

Rich

Mark,

Priscilla stirs again in your arms, takes in a breath, her eyes start opening.

Corporal Tek points to one of the unoccupied iso cubes, "We're going to drop her in an iso cube, and swap idents. That will keep her hidden for some time." As you move with him, you pass one of the active iso cubes and inside you see a small thin girl with black hair, her face is half turned away, but you'd swear it was Ashlee. "I didn't realize you were with us, Mark. I had my suspicions with how quickly you rose through the ranks. He must have big plans for you." He presses some buttons on the open iso cube and the door pressure releases and opens up.

What do you do?

Coalhada

I place Pris into the cube as gently as I can. Her hair falls over her face, and I brush it back from her mouth and nose.

I stand back. She looks so fragile. The med bay gown makes her look thinner, I think. She always looked delicate but never fragile.

"Who is he, anyway?" I ask Tek.

Rich

Mark,

As the goo starts to fill the cube, Priscilla raises her head up, opening her eyes. She looks right at you, Mark.

What do you do?

Coalhada

Rats. I hoped Pris wouldn't wake up until she was already in iso. Not fun, but surely not much worse than medical VR.

I bolt over to the cube and lean down close to her.

"Pris. It's OK. We're hiding you in iso for a while. So they can't..." There's too much to say, and the cube is filling up too fast. "We had to get you out of med bay. It's going to be OK." I glance over at Tek. His expression is neutral but I feel like he's laughing at me, on the inside. I turn back to Pris. "I love you, Pris. You're going to be OK."

Rich

Her face screws up and she looks like she's torn between being devastated and irate, "She did it! You were right!" She clenches her fists and coughs reflexively, looks down at the goo surrounding her body slowly. "Ourania poisoned me. I didn't want to believe it. She was my friend!"
Her body starts to deaden. Your words seem to calm her, but surprise her, too. "You love me? Mark, I'm not going to be okay. I'm the drokking cure. They're going to harvest me. Doctor Lancome has orders from the Commandant. She's trying to delay, but they're still..." Her burst of energy dies as the goo continues seeping in. She lies back, the gel covers her shoulders. Her eyes close. "I... I love...."

When you say those words to Priscilla, Mark, do you hear the ringing in your ears?

Corporal Tek finishes the sequence to seal the iso cube and works up the ident switch. what do you do?

Coalhada

There is no ringing in my ears. I suspected that there would not be. I do love Pris; I always did, even when I couldn't feel it. I'm not foolish enough to believe that she loves me back, no matter what I might wish that final word of hers would have been. What Pris feels doesn't change who she is to me.

I look at the locked door and at the sealed iso cube, then at Corporal Tek. "What do we tell people? What do I tell you, in my official report?"

Rich

Mark,

Tek checks the readings on the iso cube for a moment before replying, "We need to pin this on Pax and her flunkies." He turns around to look at you, hands moving behind his back. "Make some noise about her abduction, pull Pax in, press on her to give up information she doesn't have, then press harder until she gives up the other members of her little group. Meanwhile, we scour the ship looking for Priscilla, but of course, we have no idea why she's so important to the Administration or the Commandant." He gives you a look like he's checking to make sure you follow.

What do you do?

Coalhada

I nod. I follow.

"I got seen, on the way. But I don't think any of them would make a point of going higher up the ladder. They might report it to you, I guess."

I better take a different route back to my pod.

"I'm supposed to be meeting Pax pretty soon anyway, at the speedball court. I can grab her then."

No need to tell him what Pax already knows.

Rich

Mark,

"If they tattle on you, I'll file it in the circular recycling bin." Tek answers breezily. "Good that you have something set up with Pax already. Take her down, but be careful. We don't know who she's working with. She's stupid enough for us to know about her, but she could easily be a lure. Do you want me to send Eff along?" He looks at you curiously. You can tell he doesn't want you to ask for help.

What do you do?

Coalhada

Eff's refreshingly simple attitude to life might not be the best thing to bring along. Even if I didn't have some things in mind to add to Tek's plan.

"Not necessary. Besides, Pax would clam up in front of Eff. There's a small chance I can get her to spill some information before I bring her in, if I go alone."

Rich

Mark,

Corporal Tek seems satisfied. He comes over to put a hand on your shoulder, meets your eyes. "I was worried with how little training you got before you were moved up, Nul. But you're going to be just fine, aren't you?" Squeezes your shoulder. "You're in charge. Kids like Pax think they're making a difference, but they're just making it worse for everyone. They are the nail. You are the hammer."

He steps back, then says curtly, "Dismissed, Corporal Nul."

What do you do?

Coalhada

I nod acknowledgement and almost click my heels together.

I turn to leave and pause as I near the door. I look over my shoulder at Tek.
I don't think he'll tell me but I have to ask: "Do you know who he is?"

Rich

Mark,

He meets your eyes, and for a moment, you think maybe he's going to drop a name.
Corporal Tek takes a breath, then purses his lips for a moment, shaking his head, "I could tell you, but I doubt you'd believe me. In fact, I could be wrong. Just grasping at straws." He waits a moment, then sees that yes, you do want to know.
"Before the plague, before the quarantine, the ship had an Augmented Assist Unit. When things went wonky, nobody could interface with it or use it. I think that's who we work for, Mark."

Coalhada

I nod, thanking him. It sounds believable, consistent with what little I do know about the voice I've been hearing. And it's not the weirdest thing around here by any stretch.
The voice said something about Ourania putting a "hex" on me, for one. That needs investigating.

Tek was there when they hauled me out of the airlock, I think. Hard to remember. If he was already working for the voice then, this AAU, maybe he put the chip in my jaw. More likely it was someone else, on the medical staff.

I pull up my Navi in phone mode. "I'd better catch up with Pax before rumours get seriously started." I pull up Pax's waypoint history. There are long gaps in places: I think she blinds the sensors. But she hasn't been hiding for the last few hours.

Rich

Mark,

You find Pax in her room, the one she's shared with Zola since quarantine. She's alone in there now.

When you enter, she says calmly, "Sorry I didn't wait for you after speedball. I heard a noise in the bathroom, came in to find... well, Tabitha trying to carry Zola. I helped her, of course." She adds that bit with a tone that's neutral, but you know Pax has very little love for Zola, if any.

"You're here now, so..." she crosses over to sit her butt against the desk, leaning against it, crosses her arms, "What's up?"

Coalhada

I sit down on Zola's bed, leaning my elbows on my knees.

"Well, the plan has changed since what happened at the med bay," I tell her. "What I was going to do was catch up with you, confirm if you're in Red Five, maybe get frisky in the showers if you wanted, and get the names of the others out of you. Then decide whether to turn you in or try to join up."

Now that I've said it out loud, that plan seems even dumber.

Rich

The bit about "getting frisky in the showers" is a bit of a shocker for Pax, but she listens to the rest. Then you drop that you might've turned her in and she's immediately shut down. Not like she didn't expect it, you think, but it's not like she can run. "Well, it seems we both have some dirt on each other, but I'm pretty sure you trump me here, Mark. I'm Red Five, but there's no way I'll give up the others. We could use someone in your position, of course, but I'd have to remain your only contact. Ever."

What do you do?

Coalhada

"Hah, well." My chuckle is kind of surprised, embarrassed. "That would be ideal. But. They're gonna try to pin Pris's disappearance on you. I'm supposed to bring you in after this little talk. And I can't really cover for you, because--"

Because I'm under a magic spell? Maybe I won't say that exactly. That sounds nuts. "It's hard for me to lie to them, so if you're gonna disappear you have to do it soon and I have to not know where you go. Do you have, like, an emergency escape plan?"

I know a hiding place, but I'm not so sure it's a safe place to bolt to. I wanted to tell Ashlee about it, maybe sneak supplies to her if she needed them. But I think she got caught.

Rich

Pax seems disturbed at the reveal that you can't, or won't, lie to Administration. You see her work through things, feel her wonder if you're trying to flush her out, send her running to the others. It's a logical ploy here, of course. Drop it on her, watch her run, then trail her back. "They can't pin it on me. You did it. Which means they did it. I'm not going to be your drokking patsy, Mark. You want to take me in?" She holds out her hands towards you, wrists together, "Take me in. But then they know where Pris is. Which I don't think you want to happen."

Coalhada

"What part of using Pris to threaten me seems like a good idea right now?"

I stand and head to the door.

"I'll be back in ten minutes. If you're here then, I don't want to take you in but..."

I shrug.

Rich

Mark,

Where do you go for those ten minutes?

Coalhada

I cross the hall to the store room and potter around for a few minutes, read some stuff on the Feed.

Rich

Mark,

You return to find Pax sitting on her bed, reading her Navi. She looks up, casually, then leans back against the wall of her room as if to say, "well, you gonna do this?"

What do you do?

Coalhada

I look around the room, try to see if anything is different. If I were her I would have taken the time to contact someone and maybe hide a few things.

"Okay, you want to just come with me or do you want to make it look.... more heroic?" I gesture to the stun stick hanging at my waist.

Rich

Pax looks up with a very nonplussed attitude, "I don't want to be stunned. Why don't you carry me? Like you did Priscilla?" She gives a smart alek smile, then exhales through her nose with a hint of frustration.
So doing, she rolls to her feet, closing her Navi and leaving it on her bunk. She walks calmly up to you, holding up her wrists, "Alright, Corporal Nul. Take me in."

Coalhada

Looks like she wants to make it a little bit of a show when she leaves. Hands tied instead of just accompanying the corp. Fine.

First, I lock the door. Then I pull a zip tie from my belt and bind Pax's wrists together. I walk behind her, grab the Navi from her bed and stuff it into my pocket.

"Decided who you're gonna name yet?"

Rich

Pax lets you bind her wrists, then turns to watch you pick up the Navi. Ignoring your question, she gives a half smile, "You know, I wouldn't mind it if we got a little frisky now. I mean, you've got me under your power... and all." She holds up her bound hands, still smiling.

You know, Mark, with Nadja gone, it's been a while since you've sated that hunger of yours. Why don't you Hold Steady here to resist this chance for flesh, or chaos? Or both?

Coalhada

I walk over to Pax, hands by my sides, until her upheld hands are leaning on my chest.

"I hope this is because you think you're hot," I say, "more than because you think I'm stupid."

Hope springs eternal, I guess.


Hold Steady:
The worst thing that could happen is Pax gets my stun-stick while I'm otherwise engaged.

(Rolled: 2d6+2. Rolls: 6, 1. Total: 9)

+1 xp

Coalhada

Hold Steady question:
Is there anything I can do/say to convince Pax I'm (broadly speaking) on her side?

Rich

Still holding that cocky little smile, Pax raises her hands up, over your head, and rests them on the back of your neck, which just happens to bring her closer. She presses her lithe body against you and says, "A little of both. And I've always wanted to do this, so since I'm going into ico for like.... forever, why the drokk not?" She pushes herself up on her tippy toes and kisses you.
At first, it's a little peck, a testing touch to see if you're really into this or just drokking with her.

To convince her you're on her side, you have to tell her about the voice. The voice would not like that, Mark. You are never to mention him.

What do you do?

Coalhada

I put my arms around Pax's waist. I can feel something, a row of metal circles on one side of her body. I bend my neck a little to meet her kiss halfway, and trace around the discs, through the fabric of her shirts, with my fingertips.

"I knew you could plug in directly, didn't know about these," I say, bending my head down lower. My lips brush against Pax's neck as I speak.

"Did you... ask for it?" I straighten up, still holding her, and look her in the eyes. "I got a thing in my jaw, after the accident. They just put it in there while I was in surgery."

Rich

She kisses you again, eyes fluttering closed as you move down to kiss her neck. When you make contact, she sucks in a breath, her chest flushes a bit. "It's a self-mod. Did it before the trouble. I was grandfathered in and Rys put dampeners on the interface modules, but I removed those months ago." She moved a little to try and kiss your ear, but can't quite manage it with her wrists bound and you at her neck, so she relaxes into your embrace. "A thing in your jaw? Is that why you have trouble lying? Some kind of lie detector they implanted in you? Pain receptors? Toxin injection? That's weird."
She shifts her weight on her feet so she can lift her right leg and rub it alongside the outside of your left.

Coalhada

""Nothing like that," I say and lift her, one arm under her thighs, over to her bunk, and sit us both down on it so that she's on my lap. "It lets the AAU talk to me."

I push Pax's shirt up a little and put my hands on her sides. The warmth of her on one side, the cool metal of the ports on the other. Even before we got put in here, when she'd have been just a kid really, she had the sense of herself strong enough to go through with the modifications. I was always just whoever I was told to be.

Rich

Pax's eyes widen and she looks down at you, "No stomm? It speaks to you? I spend months pulling out strands of code from hundreds of lines of traffic, piece it together, and you get a drokking subvocal mic? That's fair." Even though she's saying this, her body's gyrating, trying to find some friction between you, then she's moving in for another kiss, this one a little more wanton.

Why don't you see if you can Turn her On here, Mark?

Coalhada

The voice is a mixed blessing. I would be happy to swap with her.



Turn Someone On:

(Rolled: 2d6+2. Rolls: 6, 2. Total: 10)

Rich

Mark,

If you're seriously interested in getting with Pax, her hands cuffed and her body eager, she is very willing. I assume this happens?

Coalhada

I did not choose "you keep your cool" on the Hold Steady result, so yes.

Rich

Mark,

And so it was.

How do you treat her, Mark? Is this a primal thing, a raw hunger? A power play that she submits to willingly? A last fling before she goes to iso, full of wild abandon?

Also, please fire your sex move.

Coalhada

If it was a power play, Pax would be the one performing it; bound hands or not, I don't feel like I am the one in control, if either of us is. A last fling is about right. Intensely carefree - laughter and hunger. She has the air of one headed for a point of no return: maybe something bigger, even, than the inevitable stint in iso.

Rich

Mark,

End Scene