░▒▓█VIDEO

[fugax]

[The video crackles into life, showing a dark section of what appears to be engineering. There's a young woman, haggard with exhaustion in her features, sweat and engine oil streaking on her face, leaning into the camera intently, naked hope in her expression.]

Tomas? Tommy?

[Silence, for a long moment. She's waiting for an answer, and the hope slowly fades out of her eyes the longer she doesn't receive one. Eventually, resigned, she shifts, the camera blurring before it settles again, showing her sitting, leant back against a railing on one of engineering's walkways.]

I made it to engineering, Tomas. I don't remember how, but... [She trails off, confused, and then simply seems to forget about that train of thought.] I know I should have visited you here more often, maybe I'd have more idea of what to do. Breaking everything I come across should do it, shouldn't it? It feels so wrong, smashing up everything you worked on.

But I think I'm close. It doesn't sound-- [She breaks off, a smile breaking through, fond, sad.] That sound you used to talk about, that happy sound? It doesn't sound happy anymore. I just need to find the drive.

[She looks upward, mouth pressing thin, as if she's attempting to hold back tears. After a moment, she seems to find her resolve again, nodding to herself.]

I just need to end this.

[The camera shifts and blurs again, and then clicks off.]

[[MOD NOTES: Feel free to tag! Charlotte believed this to be a single closed transmission, but she will respond. Any characters with the know-how to trace this feed will find it originating in engineering, from a comms device apparently not registered to any crew numbers. Engineering is still too hot for player characters to enter! This post directly feeds into February's modplot, and more explanation will come in the upcoming plot post. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this post, feel free to contact us directly.]]

Comments

[video]

[jurisimpudent]

[The first response to this is easy enough:]

This is Miles Edgeworth, one of the passengers here and a member of the security team. Who are you?

[fugax]

Who am I? [Incredulous, confused.] Who are you?

[lostkings]

[ wait WHAT ]

How'd you make it into Engineering?

[fugax]

I don't... I was walking.

[wolfchild]

Seven hells— Don't break anything!

[fugax]

I'm sorry. Do you work down here? I have to.

video;

[51stcentury]

[Okay, there are more than a few things that are wrong with this situation, but Jack really doesn't like the sound of that last sentence.]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just hold on, take it easy. What do you mean, "end this"? What are you going to do?

[fugax]

The drive. Don't you get it? I have to stop the drive.

video;

[cargojet]

[ Since everyone else seems to be going on the 'don't touch any of that' route, and Nathan's most recent theory would suggest to him that it's already too late to prevent whatever she's doing, because it's already happened. It has, hasn't it? He instead goes down the knowledge gathering route. Soft reassurance, feigned familiarity and a smile--she seems frantic. It must be some time since she last saw a friendly face. It makes him think of his own week lost in the ship. ]

You got lost in the hallways, didn't you? How long were you out there?

[fugax]

[She shakes her head.]

There was... [She trails off, doesn't know how to explain without sounding crazy.] This thing, it was following me. I had to hide.

video

[woodlander]

[ Well, this all looks to be escalating quickly. Best to calm things down a bit. ]

Our people have been unable to enter Engineering. It is too hot for any of us, hot enough to kill.

Who are you?

[fugax]

Your people? The whole ship is hot now.

[briefly]

All right, hold on, how - exactly how long have you been in this ship?

[fugax]

Since launch. Same as everyone else.

video

[sleuthtastic]

Hello? Are you— okay?

[ Veronica, come on. Pull it together. ]

[fugax]

[A dry smile.]

You're kidding, right?

voice; 100% encrypted

[ryuuzaki]

[When L sees the message, his stomach drops, and he spends a few minutes watching other communications filtering through and trying to find out where the first one originated.

It's hard to spook him, even here, even after what's been happening with the mirrors and the numbers... but now, he's spooked.]

Does Tomas call you Lotte?

[She wants to be treated like a person, so he'll treat her like a person, for the moment. Unless... maybe until... she proves not to be.

Maybe even then.]

[fugax]

[Any encryptions he's attempted to put on the feed are gone when she responds, though she doesn't seem to have done anything intentional to dismiss them.]

Why are you asking something like that? He's my brother.

not here.

[darkart]

[ welp. might as well take notes. ]

Video

[dino_zarf]

Taikong suoyou de xingqiu saijin wo de pigu! You made it to Engineering?

[fugax]

Yes. I don't know how, but I did.

-video-

[redheaded_rock]

You sound like you need to take a breath.

[fugax]

There's no time.

[skjalf]

[ others are (rightly) demanding answers from this woman. answers which lizzie wouldn't understand even if she could find out that she has them to give.

since that option is closed to her, she will reach out with her concern, because with the temperature aside, she looks like hell. ]

Madam, please. Take a breath, and it will be all right. You do not look well at all.

[ a point that she does understand and feel concerned about, though, is the last: ]

End what? This ship? Madam, please. There are lives at stake, here. Too many for me to properly count, but we are here and to end anything could be the death of us all.

I am certain, if we can discuss this in a civilized manner, that we might reach some sort of accord. If you would give us the chance.

[fugax]

You think I don't know how many people are on this ship? It needs to end. This is better than the alternative.

[iceboxed]

[he's checked in on the other replies before he offers up one of his own. it's doubtful it'll make much of a difference in the long run, but he's curious. and considering it looks like she's talking about destroying the one thing that's potentially keeping them alive here- yeah, there's nothing wrong with interrupting, right?]

You look like you could use something to eat.

[squinting a little before he adds-]

And maybe a shower. [a beat] Yeah, definitely a shower.

[...sorry?]

[fugax]

Are you joking? None of us have time for that.

video;

[a1]

[ thomas? of course, that particular name and that particular spelling of it has her scrambling for her device to respond. it has to be a coincidence (like everything else this ship has proved to be) but still. ]

Tom— Who's Thomas? And what do you mean, end what?

[fugax]

End this. All of this.

voice;

[deagle]

You said it.

[ chris has gone through the other responses, their group trying to mingle with this woman who was clearly frantic. it reminds him of the transmissions from the bridge. now's not the time to be trying to get details, but chris can't let this one go. ]

What does it sound like?

[fugax]

It?

[Like she doesn't know what he's referring to for a moment. Then it clicks, and she shakes her head.]

It was just... a stupid thing my brother used to say about the engines.

[voice]

[elvenking]

You are displaced. We are all displaced at Ataraxion. The veil between worlds must be very thin indeed. I am sorry for you.

[fugax]

[She looks confused for a moment, then frowns, defiant.]

I'm not listening to you.

[video]

[skillz]

Bit hot there, isn't it?

If you stay still and calm, we'll have someone collect you. Do you have food and water?

[It's better to give her some hope than cause her to panic further.]

[fugax]

Collect me? I don't need anyone.

( audio )

[pushfall]

Doesn't sound happy anymore? What does it sound now? Angry?

[fugax]

Unhappy. Overexerted.

[Like it's had a lot of parts smashed up.]

[agna]

[ Holy craaaaaaap. ]

You're part of the original crew, aren't you? So maybe I was right, after all...

At any rate, which is the last cycle you remember? If you remember any cycle at all, that is.

[fugax]

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm part of the crew, the only crew, and I don't know what cycles are.

video

[lockwood]

[Something about her hits Tyler as familiar, but he can't totally place it. It's enough to make his skin crawl a little though.]

End what, exactly?

[fugax]

This. The insanity, the killing. All of it.

video;

[invigor]

[That-- doesn't sound good at all.]

Breaking things you come across? Just what exactly are you trying to accomplish?

[fugax]

I'm trying to stop it.

(text)

[wrecktified]

Please don't break things, I'll have to fix them.

[fugax]

If this works, you won't have to fix any of it.

voice;

[humanistic]

If you stop it, what the hell happens to us? This thing, this ship--something in it brought us here, and there's a lot of us. Breaking it--you'll fucking strand us, more than we're already stranded.

[and by the way--] Where the hell did you come from?

[fugax]

It's better than this. Anything is better than this.

late late late late

[suddenlycaptain]

[ She's been watching, reading. This is... insane, but she has to try. ]

Charlotte? This is Carolyn, from the flight crew. Do you remember me?

[fugax]

No. You don't look like flight crew.