oo2 | video | filtered from NPCs.

[anomalies]

[ the feed switches on to reveal connor’s face in fuzzy close-up, staticked and blurred. after a moment, it focuses, and he leans back until his shoulders are visible, one arm held out to grasp the camera, which now is recording with a slight worm’s-eye view. his hair is longer, curling around his ears, nearly touching his shoulders, and his stubble's taken on about a month's worth of growth. (he's in his jumpsuit, the sleeves rolled up, so he looks more like a scraggly pilot rather than the mad scientist he actually is, which wouldn’t be such a terrifying thought if he didn’t live up to the stereotype at least 60% of the time.)

hope you guys like handheld shakycam, because this is being filmed more like a horror movie nature documentary than an actual network post.

the background is quite clearly the science department, banks of computers and jumbled heaps of overturned machines stretching on and on for yards behind him. there's an oddly-shaped outcropping of metal jutting out behind his head, but with the angle of the camera, it's difficult to see exactly what it might be—or if it’s anything at all. spoiler: it is. ]

Yo, Connor Temple here. [ guess who sounds super-cheerful for a dude who's spent most of his recent time devoting himself to personal science projects that haven't yet seen the light of day, despite looking like a stressed hobo? this guy.

a very dry voice off-camera drawls out a hey. connor glances to where it's come from, grins quickly, and returns his attention to the device. ] Chapel says hullo.

Anyway, I realised I hadn’t made a proper post since I got back, so I figure now’s a good a time as any. [ he pauses, looking off to the side again, as if to check on something. ]

Erm, right, context would be good—long story short, I was here before, very first month. No, can't tell you how I disappeared or why I'm back— [ actually, he's got a few theories, starting with unfinished business that he fully plans on finishing ] —but I am, and I’ve been here for about a month, workin’ on a few things. Probably why you haven’t seen me around. I’ve been a bit. Underground.

[ which explains the beard, tbh. moving on...

the camera turns from connor’s face to the massive bulk of machinery that had been just off-camera, now revealed to be one of the crudely repaired particle accelerators on the second floor of the science department. chapel is bent over a nearby console, a pair of goggles keeping his hair (mostly) off his forehead; unlike connor, he’s wearing civvies, faded yellow t-shirt standing out against the dingy metal of the machine. he waves a hand in the direction of the camera without actually looking up from his work.

the accelerator is actually monstrous. mostly because it seems to be connected to at least one other cannibalized accelerator, arcing magnificently around the gigantic room like a ridiculously big metallic snake. ]

We’ve been tryin’ to cobble together something like the LHC back on Earth, because we’re not really... allowed to check out the actual jump drive itself, and I’d really rather not drive the commander round the pole, if that’s alright. [ just audible offscreen is chapel’s mildly affronted comment: "well, she likes me." ] All this stuff’s really advanced—I mean, like, really advanced—but we’ve been making some progress. It’s not much, but we’re getting there. And we’re, um—we’re about to execute the first trial run, actually. But it’ll be fine. Just try not to come up here for the next... few hours or so, eh? We’ll try and keep things relatively quiet. D’you—?

[ he’s been pacing for the last couple of sentences, and seems to have ended up with chapel in the periphery of the feed; the question’s aimed at his fellow mad scientist, who takes the comm from connor and looks into it himself. ]

It's... actually, it didn't end up much like the Large Hadron Collider, except for the part where we're running two beams of high-energy elementary particles at each other in a circle. This thing's more like the LHC's midget descendant.

Anyway, uh. Long story short, if you hear any weird noises coming from the science labs or if it looks like there's a brownout going on, it’s not actually the jump drive starting; you’ve still got a couple of days on that front. It’s just us running a souped-up particle accelerator. Please don’t panic.

[ has the phrase “please don’t panic” ever made people not panic? quick poll says NOPE. ]

If we see anything good happen, we’ll stick it on Space Youtube. If not—eh. [ SHRUG. ] We’ll just try again until something does, I guess. That’s all I got, so.... [ chapel glances off-camera quickly before tossing the camera back connor’s way. literally tossing. sorry about that half-second of shakycam ceiling shots, guys.

connor catches it like a pro (a slightly startled pro) and flips it up until it’s got his face in view again. he looks a little apologetic, but it’s unclear as to why. ]

Over and out.

[ SCIENCE. ]



[ ooc: blue is connor, and green is chapel. specify who you'd like to speak to in the comment title! (we're sorry about your flists.) ]

Comments

[dashhole]

... Large what now?

voice

[anomalies]

Hadron Collider, mate. [ funnier when spelled wrong. ] It's not the same, because we don't have the space for a proper one, but the one we've got— [ he pats a nearby bastardized piece of machinery with a dull clank ] —it accelerates subatomic particles and smashes them together, basically, at really high speeds.

voice > video

[dashhole]

[Just for that, just for you, he switches formats. Because you need to see this.

With one hand he imitates a plane going by over his head:]

Whoosh.

voice

[anomalies]

[ okay, that gets an amused noise. ]

Don't worry about it. It's not easy to explain. Or understand, really. Even if you are a science nerd.

[voice] NO PREFERENCE W/R/T WHO

[jurisimpudent]

[Dear lord what.]

Quite. I've a few inquiries for the two of you.

[voice]

[anomalies]

[ oh boy, inquiries. those always end well. ]

I'm all ears.

[voice]

[jurisimpudent]

First: what is the point of this?

[voice]

[tarheel]

Well, ideally we're trying to figure out how the engine works—without having to actually break into the engine room.

[ science. the point is science. ]

video;

[soothing]

[ um xcuse u ]

You can't just kick everyone out of the science department!

video;

[anomalies]

[ sdfkldfs sorry betty ]

What? [ and then: ] Oh. No! I mean, we're not... we just meant people should probably stay put, is all. If they're not already here. You don't have to move. [ they're certainly not moving, at any rate. ]

We just didn't want to alarm people. With the, you know. Noises.

[ because they're doing a great job with that, obviously. he falters for a moment, then offers a suggestion: ]

You can come look, if you like?

video;

[soothing]

[ Upsetting Betty is like upsetting your mom look what you did. ]

And you didn't think that maybe you should clear this with everyone else who uses the science department? There could be experiments that this could alter, you know.

[ Not that she knows of anything, off the top of her head, but that's not the point. ]

I'm a cellular biologist. I'm not sure I'd quite as much out of it.

voice; no preference!

[sharp]

[ amy was actually interested in all that machinery and space talk up until the possible bad parts were mentioned. ]

Don't panic. Right. [ she's not panicking though. ] Sooo, if it goes all fine, then what?

voice;

[anomalies]

[ good! not panicking is good. no panic. that is an a+ plan, and one he's glad to have played a part in. ]

Then we write down the results and try it again. [ science! ] It's not really meant to accomplish much on the first go. We want to make sure it can eventually do what we want it to do, when push comes to shove.

[ he's not particularly good at explaining things without using larger words, but basically: trial runs for PARTICLE SMASHING. ]

voice;

[sharp]

[ comes with experience of knowing that 'don't panic' usually means panic. she's prepared, tbh. and the absence of larger words is just fine since she doesn't exactly speak science. she's just around it. a lot. ]

Do what? Something similar to the jump drive?

[darkholme]

[ ohgod science is confusing. but she does remember Chapel talking about possible jump drive alternatives a while back, sooo.. ]

I know this goes without saying, but since that's never stopped me before - please be careful. It sounds like whatever you're doing is really important, yeah, but also... kinda pretty dangerous too, so. Mhm, yes, my very helpful contribution is to remind you to be safe. [ nod! ]

[anomalies]

[ science is confusing AND REALLY COOL, raven! ]

Oh, don't worry about us. We'll be fine. [ probably. connor gives a reassuring nod in return, though; it's always nice when people are looking out for you, and he appreciates it. ] We've got goggles and everything.

[darkholme]

Uh huh. [ GOGGLES. HONESTLY. ]

So, in non-sciency terms... What's gonna happen? I mean, what does an... LHC do?

video;

[the_vishual]

[ Woah--woah woah woah. Woah.

Woah.

Yeah, Chase is going to ignore everything that post even says and: ]

Connor?!

video;

[anomalies]

Chase! [ connor's face breaks into a wide, happy grin, all of his attention diverting from the project to his communicator. ] Oh my god, I haven't seen you in ages. How've you been?

video;

[the_vishual]

Do--so you remember me?

audio; no pref.

[cutsofftheirlimbs]

Well, that's certainly one way to try things out.

[He's actually pretty impressed, truth be told.]

audio;

[anomalies]

I like to think so.

[ he would bow but he'd probably hit his head on something. so, sounding vaguely (happily) smug will have to do for now. ]

video; shut up i'm allowed to be this l a t e.

[starked]

[ most important thing here is... ]

You two were building a mini LHC and you didn't call me. [ SO HURT. ] Seriously?

I'm the guy who synthesized a new element in my workshop at home and you two didn't call me?

video; yes oh my gosh of course C'MERE YOU

[anomalies]

[ he grins, only slightly abashed. ] Sorry, mate, must've lost your number. You know how it is. Space reception. Garbled... frequencies...

[ and then HOLY DOUBLE TAKE BATMAN, because he's pretty sure he didn't just hear what he thought he heard except that he actually did tony how ]

—You what?

video; /FLIES INTO YOUR ARMS

[starked]

[ legit just bitch pls look. ] Garbled frequencies. You are such bullshit. Tell me you at least got someone else when you called.

[ magic. he taps his chest like the proudest papa ever. ]

Synthesized a new element in my workshop at home. It was actually kind of fun. And I was working on rushed time then.