( 16 ) video ✶ i knew you before the west was won and i heard you say the past was much more fun

[unparental]

[ jenna's face is uncharacteristically hesitant when she opens the feed, like she's still not quite sure this is the best idea. ]

I know we're all pretty sick of this place, and normally I don't play the guessing game— for the record, I feel like it's worth pointing out you can't get screwed with by a jerk of an emote if you don't talk to it, and hey: then you can skip the cryptic pointlessness— but something's been bothering me about those... dreams? Visions? Connections? I don't even know what to call them.

...sorry.

[ off-topic, sommers. stay on point man. she winces a little, smile wry. ]

The thing that keeps bugging me is the month before that it was all of us, right? And we're all... alive, on the sliding scale at least. We're here, maybe that's a better word for it.

[ she pauses, frowns. ]

So, assuming they were the same kind of thing— and they might not have been, so I could be entirely wrong before I even get the the point of what's bothering me. But if they are... where are those people? I didn't get anything from people who used to be here the first month, which makes me wonder—

[ if those people are still somehow out there, trapped. if ward and resnik don't look seventy-odd years old, it's always possible there are more people like them. ]

Nothing all that not-creepy, but still. [ she inhales deeply, letting it out and shaking her head. ] If anyone has theories that don't sound like a horror movie, I'd be really happy to hear them.

[ a beat. ]

Really happy.

Comments

voice;

[cargojet]

I have plenty of ideas, but you know that. At least three others, beside the obvious horror movie one. Probably a dozen more if I sat and thought about it properly.

voice;

[unparental]

No sarcasm at all, I'd love to hear them. [ she sighs. ] I mean, what we need are answers and not just more questions, but it's not like we can get any of those three to give us any.

voice;

[cargojet]

Getting answers out of anyone around here has never been that easy. But you said it yourself, guessing games don't get us much of anywhere. They haven't so far.

You got theories of your own. Are they the 'crew are the manticores' kind?

[andblockbuster]

I... have a lot more than a theory.

[unparental]

This is going to be awful, isn't it?

[ ferguson, why. ]

Okay, hit me.

[andblockbuster]

Okay, I think everyone knows by now that I didn't have the most noble or morally appropriate career back home, but my experience has helped us out of a lot of jams over the past couple years, so... I'm thinking I'm kind of an expert on this, regardless of the ethical debating.

[He pauses. Right. He was going somewhere.] You wouldn't... actually need the crew alive for us to get their memories the same way we got each others'. You'd just need their memories saved to a drive.

video.

[throwsdown]

[Here's a frowning pudgy face all up in your screen. So disappointed and unsure.]

I don't understand none of the stuff people're saying.

[HE JUST WANTS A NORMAL LIFE, WHY DO PEOPLE GOTTA GET WEIRD MEMORIES AND TALK ABOUT MANTICORES AND PEOPLE SHOOTING EACH OTHER.]

video.

[unparental]

[ NOOOOOOOOO SMALL CHILD, WHY ]

—that's... that might be for the best, sweetheart.

video.

[throwsdown]

But it's m'portant to know! Right?

[boogiewoogiebugleboy]

No, sorry. Nothing.

[unparental]

Then I'm open to the horror movie ones too.

[boogiewoogiebugleboy]

Honestly? I kind of thought this place was some sort of holding facility after you die, and that we all just don't realize it yet.

video.

[coy]

Thanks for the nightmare fuel, Jenna.

video.

[unparental]

Trust me, my usual policy is much more hands off. This just keeps bugging me.

[ the most apologetic of winces, tho ]

video.

[coy]

I was making an attempt to go into denial.

video;

[tinytactician]

[Serious little blond is serious. And little. Very little.]

It's entirely possible they're in another part of the ship, experiencing exactly what we are, and warned away from the areas that we happen to occupy. Or they've left.

[Or they're all dead and therefore everyone currently on this ship is also going to die but. No nightmare stories for now.]

[faderbroderson]

He said it wants to keep us. Perhaps "it" has the previous crew as well, but those of us who were here previously and disappeared are... elsewhere. Disconnected from "it," somehow.

[unparental]

I still vote for going home, personally.

voice »

[rancorously]

Dead.

[ thaaaat is literally the least helpful thing to say on the planet but also you know definite possibility. ]

voice »

[unparental]

Okay, one for 'end of the horror movie', got it.

voice »

[rancorously]

It's realistic.

[ a beat. ]

Besides, I think think the middle of one might worse.

[ so, zombies. ]

[thatsaflaregun]

Plenty of places for them to end up, yeah? [It's a big ship. And hi, Jenna. Desmond's stressed as hell. This is getting to him.]

[unparental]

And it's not like we've been everywhere, you're right.

[ des this sucks tho ]

voice »

[suit]

I might have one or two thoughts about it. They might be a bit closer to horror movie than you want to hear, though.

voice »

[unparental]

I was the one who opened the can of worms, might as well look inside.