02 ▒ EVENT: STASIS SICKNESS ▒ MAZE

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: The mysterious maze.
WARNINGS: Sickness, body horror, encounters, etc.
SUMMARY: Dying slowly, getting into trouble, adventures in exploration.
NOTES: Open to all!

The corridor stretches on before you. THIS WAY ☺, the farthest wall says, before turning into a darkness you haven't explored before. Perhaps now's a good time to consult that map.

Comments

[godofthemachine]

[AM didn't like being sick. He didn't like it at all. It was another nuisance this body provided, making him question yet again if the ability to move and feel was even worth it. It was worth it, but not in this horrid environment.

AM was moving through the maze, partially due to boredom and curiosity. That Smiley character got on his nerves at times, though it amused him more than anything to see the Tranquility's inhabitants all up in arms about it.

But the disorientation and fever was getting to be too much. Human sickness. How annoying. As a computer, AM had dealt with the occasional virus, but that was before he, well... woke up. Humans were so susceptible to the slightest irritant in the environment. There was a time where that caused him endless amusement, but now in this form it was just grating.

His hands felt the metallic wall, stabilizing himself as he traversed the corridors, looking for that supposed cure the Smiley character purported to have. His hands gripped the walls, until finally he felt something distinctly not metallic. A person in the flesh. He still wasn't used to the feeling of another person's flesh, so it did take him aback slightly. His hand didn't move, though, as he was still gripping for balance's sake.]

[ironnanny]

[ The sudden contact to his skin gives him a shock, and Jarvis jumps slightly, head whipping to the side to look at who came touched him - physical contact still something very new to the AI. He'd recognized the man from before, spoken to him a couple times and seen him around the medbay after the jumps, but other than that, there was no data on the man, nothing to go off of, and with a swirling anomaly in front of him and this man at his back, a slight bit of wariness creeps up - a feeling that would have actually been keen if his senses were anywhere near par where they usually are.

Turning his head to peer over his shoulder at the man, Jarvis blinked for a moment before addressing him. ] Can I [ cough ] assist you with something, sir?

[godofthemachine]

[The skin of the other felt abnormally warm. Of course. Another victim of this sickness. It was almost disgusting to the touch, knowing that he was also sick and possibly contagious. But there was a slight comfort in the touch of the flesh, as it was something he had longed to do for so long, and rarely had done so since gaining this body.

Upon viewing the man's face, though, AM did recognize him. He had seen him a couple of times and spoken to him once or twice. He was yet another AI forced into a human body, if he remembered correctly. Couldn't remember the thing's name, but it didn't really matter.]

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm merely trying to find the cure to this disease and I accidentally ran into you.

[He spoke as eloquently as he could manage, though his voice was hoarse and weak. Perhaps this man could be of some use to him. He trusted the AIs more than the humans, though that was barely saying anything. Perhaps he trusted them 0.1% more than the humans.

Find the cure, then get rid of the man. It seemed fairly simple.]

[ironnanny]

[ He gives the man a cursory once over before responding. ] No apology necessary.

We have the same objective.

[ Spoken as monotone as he can with a sort of weakness in his tone. He's not certain how trusted the man can be, but wandering the maze alone and in this condition is proving incredibly difficult. He allows the hand to remain, offering the man a sturdiness as he seemed to need it - the sickness fairly obvious in the warmth of his hand as well.

Calling this an unspoken alliance for the moment, Jarvis nods forward, indicating the corridor he was halted ahead of. ]

This route is blocked. There is... what appears to be a vacuum. Anomaly as it is.

[godofthemachine]

[AM removes his hand temporarily when he walks forward with JARVIS, but is intrigued by his comment about the vacuum.]

A vacuum? In the middle of the ship?

[Now he's curious. A vacuum. But, the oxygen and temperature and everything hasn't been sucked out into the vortex of outer space. How is that even possible? Surely this ship holds a technology beyond his comprehension.]

[ironnanny]

A 'black hole', if you will, yes.

[ Such is what the quick run of analysis he'd managed before AM showed up. An anomaly is the best term, as it couldn't possibly be a black hole, not inside of the ship and not with people standing so close to it. The ship would begin to pull into it. ]

I'm unsure how it's possible.

[godofthemachine]

That can't be possible.

[A black hole. Any black hole of that significant a mass would have engulfed the ship already. And yet here they were, still perfectly in tact. Either JARVIS was a fool, or something completely unpredictable was going on. Of course JARVIS probably was a fool, but obviously relied on logic.

He was really, really curious now.]

I have to see this for myself.

[ironnanny]

Yet it is here.

[ He can't explain it, but belief is easy enough - it is here. There's no debating that and he doubts his delirium is so far advanced he's imagining it. The AI steps to the side, allowing AM to pass. ]

Be my guest.

[godofthemachine]

[He steps forward as JARVIS indicates, and sees a complete void on the floor of the ship. That can't be possible. A black hole of that mass would have devoured this entire ship. Everything AM knows about physics is being contradicted here in this moment as he tries to contemplate this.

But to test it out...]

Fascinating.

I wonder how many people have fallen victim to it.

[He smirks as he says this, thinking of all the horrible possibilities.]

[ironnanny]

[ Stepping cautiously alongside him, Jarvis peers at the impossibility, still searching for some sort of explanation. ]

As it is a black hole, by its nature, it would be impossible to tell. There would be no evidence left.

[ Little does he know he's practically volunteering ]

[godofthemachine]

Of course there would be no evidence left, but it still makes me wonder.

[Jarvis is peering at the black hole with AM. One quick shove and he could be the first volunteer to test out this phenomenon. This physics impossibility. Such a logic bomb could fry a small part of his circuits (though he had so much protection against that), but he no longer consisted of circuits.

He glances at the blond young man next to him and tries to think of the best way to discreetly get his first test subject.

As stealthily as he can manage, his arm moves to shove Jarvis forward and into the hole.]