video.

[inquisitive]

[ click! video starts recording, and here's kasukabe carefully setting the camera down on a table, making sure it's angled up. once he sees it's recording properly, he waves a hand into the camera. ]

Hello.

[ and then he reaches down, picks something up, and sets it down on the table so the camera can catch it:



yes, that is one of the rats from the gen lab jury-rigged to a huge, ghetto-ed together battery strapped to its back. despite its evident frankenstein-ification it doesn't seem uncomfortable; it snuffles quietly at the camera, wiggling its nose. the light embedded in its tail glows steadily. ]

This guy doesn't have a name yet. But if you see him around, don't be alarmed! He's very docile and I'm testing out how well he can act as a scout or retriever. He won't bite or attack people.

[ pause. ]

I guess he might be a little slow to react, so if you accidentally step on him or something, let me know. He should be able to take a little wear and tear, but just in case.

Oh, and if you have any name recommendations I'll gladly take them.

Comments

video

[cobaltblue]

[Just... staring for a bit before turning on the video, here, yeah.]

What. The fuck. Is that.

video

[inquisitive]

One of the rats from the genetics lab.

[cobaltblue]

... No. That's not a rat. That's what you'd get if a rat, a toolbox, and a potato battery had an orgy.

[inquisitive]

[ well that's kind of a tasteless way of putting it!!! ]

Well, I could have gone with charging him periodically instead of strapping the battery to him, which might have been a sleeker-looking solution. But that would require fairly frequent recharging, which can get pretty annoying. This might not be the prettiest way of fixing him up, but it works.

[cobaltblue]

Okay, so, hold on. You attached a battery and a lightbulb to a rat. ... Why?

[inquisitive]

He was pretty much dead when I got him. The battery provides the power necessary for keeping him active, now. The light's just an easy way of checking how much juice the battery's got left.

[cobaltblue]

At the risk of repe- no, I'm just gonna say it again. Why?

[inquisitive]

Mostly, I was just studying its physiology to see if there's any easy way of cleaning out the swarm in the lab. But I figured, since I had it available, I might as well.

[ also he got bored. ]

[cobaltblue]

... Has anyone ever told you you're really fucking weird?

[inquisitive]

Ahaha! Not quite those exact words, but I've heard similar things before.

[video]

[doc_pompous]

[There are times when Simon has to sit back and ask himself

'is this real life'

this is one of those times and the answer is

yes

yes this is real life.]

You need to keep that thing in quarantine.

[cobaltblue]

[He just can't...]

So you basically just took a half-dead rat and stuck a battery on it to keep it alive, for no good reason except that you could.

... Okay, fine, that's fine. Whatever. I don't need to understand what the hell goes on on this ship, anyway, so you just... do your thing.

[video]

[inquisitive]

[ oh hello there coworker

without missing a beat: ]

Oh, don't worry, he's clean now. I flushed him through with formalin and alcohol multiple times to make sure.

[inquisitive]

More than half. I'd say about 90% of the way dead.

[ since brian had sort of vivisected it. ]

And he may be useful sometime. You never know what may happen in places like this.

[cobaltblue]

Yeah, you've pretty clearly demonstrated that just now.

[doc_pompous]

[Oh okay

it's a he.]

You flushed it?

[text]

[doggedly]

what are you doing to it
what IS that on it

[inquisitive]

Not literally! But I cleaned him out pretty thoroughly. I do follow all basic safety precautions.

[ well, most of the them. ]

permavoice.

[inquisitive]

[ he's still tinkering around in his little area wearing grody gloves and stuff so typing is too annoying to bother with whoops ]

I fixed him. The thing on his back's a battery.

[inquisitive]

It wasn't that difficult or unique a procedure, to be honest, so I doubt this falls under 'you never know what may happen.'

Now, if I got my hands on one of those bigger monsters I've heard people talking about, it'd be a different story.

[bloodplay]

[yeah of course this is what i break hiatus for IT'S ENTHRALLING, OKAY
HE'S ENTHRALLED]

Damn. [his eyebrows scrunch up a little more! thoughtfully.] You really weren't kidding. Not that I thought you were, but actually seeing it -- well, that's something else.

[inquisitive]

Ahaha! I don't bluff about what I can and can't do!

[ he's not really bragging, more just stating it matter-of-factly. ]

There's still a little bit more fine-tune wiring that needs work to keep him more alert, but he's mostly done now.

permatext!!

[doggedly]

what is a

[no okay he can get someone to tell him about batteries there are more important things]

fixed him how

[inquisitive]

[ huh. maybe this is someone who doesn't know much about technology? ]

He was pretty much dead when I got him. And now he's not. I guess 'fixed' isn't the most accurate term, but I think it works okay for now.

[doggedly]

so it was dead


its one of the ones from the laboratory right
do you only have one