twenty-eighth jump;

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Any and all.
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond.
WARNINGS: Maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: It could just be the standard sensation of air on wet skin, but if you bother to check, you might notice the steam rising from your body, barely there and gone within a minute. By the time you get to the showers, it will be clear that it's not just taking you time to adjust. The room is cold — colder than usual, but no worse than the last jump. While it's nothing dangerous, it's certainly motivation to hurry through the usual routine and get dressed quickly.



It's getting closer.




YOUR EYES ARE OPEN.

KEEP LOOKING.

You wake up in darkness.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.
There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Comments

[coolcubed]

Oh, definitely. Or it would have been, except it turned out to be an elaborate lie to cover up a broken DVD. I could respect the creativity, but it made things pretty awkward on the Batman front. [ Like a twenty-something year old college student using a grappling hook to fumble his way through breaking and entering wasn't awkward without the help. Priorities. ] Nobody found the crime they were expecting that day. Do you think that happens a lot?

[onsilksheets]

I suppose that replacing the broken DVD with a new one was difficult? [ She's amused by the whole thing. Hence the teasing lilt to her tone when she speaks. ] Can't say for certain if it does happen or not. I think it would depend on the situation, you know? It would appear that you lead an interesting life back home. [ Or strange. Bela hasn't decided yet.] My name is Bela by the way. And you?

[coolcubed]

I'm Abed Nadir. And I try to keep my life interesting: it's good to know it comes across in different settings. That gets pretty hard to test when you don't go out of town much. [ Just life for you. Summer was set to be a lot of Three's Company shenanigans before today. Now it's more... cold depths of space.

They could have had a DVD memorial service. Autographed, exclusive content, probably more expensive than a community college student who needs a roommate to live on their own could feasibly afford in real reality. But that's the sitcom life all over. ]

[onsilksheets]

Lovely to meet you, Abed. [ Bela offers him a smile. ] And there's nothing wrong with trying to keep your life interesting. I just couldn't stay in one place for very long. [Despite the fact that she had an apartment in New York, Bela did like to travel. Apart from that, she had to travel for work.]

Is there anything else I can help you with? I can do what I can.

[coolcubed]

I'm not sure. After the wakeup, things seem pretty straightforward. For a mysterious abduction caused by advanced technology and unknown motives, anyway. [ He pulls a bit of a face and pulls his now neatly-looped grappling hook over one shoulder. ]

But if things go Poseidon Adventure after the passenger lift, you're welcome to stick with me. Or to rescue me, depending on what happens. I pull a good Han Solo in a crisis and I've seen enough faux-apocalyptic societies to last a lifetime, so it's a useful investment.

[onsilksheets]

Thanks for the offer but I think I'll be okay for now. I've been here a while and handled things so far. [ Barely handled, sometimes. ] It doesn't mean I won't consider the offer in the future, if I find myself in a tricky situation and need someone who is handy with a grappling hook and be Han Solo at the same time.

[ While her tone may be light, she's also being sincere. Bela has learned that accepting help from others isn't a sign of weakness. ]

It's important to stick together in this place. I found that out for myself the hard way. If you do need help at any time, just ask.