oo7. video.

[forgodssake]

[ Charles Xavier has managed to time this video for a moment when he isn't bleeding from the face, but his face is quite white, like maybe he has been not so long ago. When he speaks, his tone is level and informative-- but in most other ways, a certain amount of anxiety radiates off of him.

One of his eyes has blood blotting over white at the corner from burst blood vessel. ]

I wanted to share something I found when I was asked to examine Felix Laurens. Some of you know I have psychic abilities and-- well, now all of you do. [ Ha. Ahh. Anyway. ] I sought to find out what-- prevented him from speaking directly, or caused him to behave in strange ways, and a little about how he came to be here at all. Last we knew, he was dead.

What I found was a second presence, buried deep in his mind. His consciousness was separated from it by a sort of psychic, membranous barrier, which I don’t know the nature of. In my haste, I broke through the barrier so I could understand what it was, and-- initially, it was just. Sounds. Memories. Thousands of them, and I wasn't able to make any sense of it. But there was something else, too, something intelligent and aware that seemed to see me, like a single searching eye, and tried to-- do something. Pull me in, is what it felt like, to all that noise. Felix helped break off the connection before that could happen, and I experienced symptoms not unlike the ones we're experiencing now.

[ Charles hesitates. Taps his fingers against the desk. Continues, to the point. ]

It's in everyone. Everyone's mind.

This barrier is, anyway. It reads to me as being "thinner" [ you can hear the quotation marks in his tone ] for those who have been here longer, and "thinner" for those that attended Shepard's recon mission a while back. I haven't looked beneath it since I observed it in Laurens, but only because I fear that I'd find the same thing.

It's also-- I believe-- causing the rolling side effects we're all experiencing now, or has something to do with them. I've observed that there is a resistance happening, a ripping, like the barrier is trying to detach from our minds, and then when we seek physical contact and the symptoms abate, the barrier strengthens. Perhaps it isn't a barrier at all, but a--

[ He stops. He hadn't want to ramble and speculate. ]

Study is ongoing, anyway, about what it means for us, what it does to us. I'll put up my own findings in the archival timeline, and keep it up to date. If-- if anyone like me is looking to confirm this phenomenon, I can't stress enough that it's important you go carefully. It will overpower you, given the chance.

[ Grim public service announcement executed, he tries to consider how to sign off. ]

For those that are newer, my name is Professor Xavier, with Xenogen. Sorry about all that.

[ Aaand cut. ]

Comments

video, private

[worthtempting]

Did it...have a color?

[the woman on the video looks as though she knows this is an odd question. right after that she winces a little, but she does not seem to be aware that her nose is bleeding. or something like bleeding, anyway, since what's dripping from her nose is ichorous and mostly pearly-black.]

video, private

[forgodssake]

I don't recall.

[ Apologetic, to a point. There is some information he searched for, and other matters simply exposed to. ]

I remember better the impression of its focus. The feeling you get when you realise something is looking at you. That sort of thing. Your-- you're bleeding, a little.

[ Probably. That's probably what's happening there. ]

video;

[vdova]

[ Just a deadpan, flat: ] What.

video;

[forgodssake]

My response as well.

[ His tone hedges a little uncertain. She could be what'ing his mutant nature too. That had specifically gone unmentioned, in their one conversation. ]

Only more hysterical.

[video]

[circumitus]

That would certainly explain some things.

[Her tone is flat. Unsurprised. She pinching the brim of her nose. The bleeding has stopped for the time being, with the exception of a slight trickle coming out of her ear. Her face is blanched, definitely looking worse for wear.

[Well, more so than already.]

Don't suppose this thinning barrier in some of our heads would be what causes the compulsion?

[It doesn't bode well for someone who both has been here since day one and partook in that recon.]

[video]

[forgodssake]

I think it must be related. The 'cause'--

[ His head tips, mouth twisting a little. A makeshift handkerchief, folded in such a way so as not to display probable blood stains, he holds clutched. ]

I'm reluctant to impose intent. The most I've been able to observe of it is the presence of it in static conditions and its reaction to what ails us now. But I don't imagine you're off the mark with that thinking.

text;

[radiopalkiller]

[ All right. So. Philip's strength of conviction that he's still trapped in a Wonderland-induced nightmare hasn't left the high nineties percentile yet.

Oh, but- but it gets better. Not just induced, tailored. Those are Philip's horrors come to life one after the other, that's a sickening sense of familiarity wrapping itself around his throat, making him reach for the back of his neck, fingers feeling the rough skin of a faded rash. Fingers closing around his comm device just a little too tightly, as he tries to remind himself to breathe.

Breathe, Philip, it's all right. You'll wake up, and you'll get savagely attacked by a large dragon. Same as always, nothing to worry about.

And still, and still the ever-grating question goes: But what if there was? What if he... if he just went along with it for a second or- or two? ]

Just out of completely idle curiosity, how much of your allotted time and resources are presently being utilised towards potential methods of extracting this presence from our minds?

What I'm asking here is, have you thought about looking into killing whatever it is very, very dead?

text;

[forgodssake]

I have

[ Glad for the switch to text message, to be honest. He had delivered this information as video only after several attempts to write it down -- at first, it had been too dry in its delivery and easily dismissed, but adding emotive content seemed ridiculous. Better to just say what he knows, and allow his fear to be evaluated plainly.

But now that that's over with-- ]

and I think if we truly have any hope of escaping from this place, that's what must happen
pure conjecture, of course

my allotted time and resources are all generally aligned towards the common goal of getting the fuck out of here
and occasionally walking my dog
the problem being that any attempts to look very closely at this thing to get a better idea as to how to fight it too swiftly end with simply trying to survive the encounter

text;

[puppydogeyes]

[Trying to deal with the tiny letters of text on her screen just makes the headache worse, but like fuck Taylor's replying to this with any medium that might really show her current reaction.]

Thinner.

text;

[forgodssake]

I know

but I don't know the fullness of what "thinner" means
a degradation, an exposure to influence, but also perhaps the ability to strengthen

voice ;

[50000volts]

If it isn't a barrier, then what is it? -- I mean, what do you think it is?

[ Darcy's had enough experience with scientists to know when to rephrase and speak in hypotheticals. ]

voice ;

[forgodssake]

I suppose--

[ On her permission, he shifts into speculative. ]

Alright, so we have this layer that is thinner over time, or exposure, or feels like it. If it were to degrade to the point of fragility, that ostensibly would be terrible.

But is what we want to strengthen it? What if it's keeping this thing attached, by existing?

So I'm not all the way sure 'barrier' is correct, but it's all I have for the moment.

private.

[kutte]

Hey, if you're done digging around in Laurens' head, you got a minute to poke around mine?

private.

[forgodssake]

I do. Did you want to see if you're exempt?

not here;

[slurpeesinhell]

[One of the lounges on level 013, the one closest to the lift—should anyone go there between now and when the ship inevitably tidies itself up, they'll find the room littered with broken glass and stinking of spirits. Many of the bottles have been destroyed, a table and a few chairs overturned, miscellaneous bar items scattered in the process. There's a little blood, too: just seven drops, the trail ending just outside the door.]

[forgodssake]

[ :c ]

[Video]

[tadashiwashere]

Everyone's minds? Some of us just got here.

[Tadashi's expression is tight -- he doesn't like the idea of someone messing with his little brother's head. Never mind that he's not inclined to believe in psychics anymore than he's ready to fully accept that this is a spaceship, but if there's even the smallest chance...]

[Video]

[forgodssake]

As far as I know, there isn't any kind of grace period.

[ He's a little worn out, and sometimes a little caustic for someone who is naturally compassionate; so there is a little struggle to manage his tone, to be patient. He hits a note of apology.

He goes ahead and says it, too; ]

I'm sorry.

[mindtricks]

[ the video feet is up and running for a good long moment before anderson even opens her mouth, and even then, she doesn't speak immediately. ]

That makes sense.

[ it does, with what she'd felt from charles while he'd been inside laurens' head. it also explains the physical changes -

speaking off, she lifts her hand to wipe away blood from under her nose. ]

[forgodssake]

It's not over.

[ His smile is wan, but he makes an effort to have one. ]

voice; private

[oversight]

This... presence. It's just— As far as you can tell, it's just one?

[ That's what he's assuming at this point, but he wants to clarify... for personal reasons. ]

Or is it possible there're others?

voice; private

[forgodssake]

It felt individual, to me. That gaze-like thing.

[ There's the clink of tea cup being set down. ]

But the sensory overload I described that came before and around that moment, that implied innumerable presences. Like a psychic beehive of noise.

voice;

[judex]

Could any of this cause strange dreams?

[ OR IS THERE PERHAPS ANOTHER SOURCE. ]

not here;

[dogbane]

B(

private text;

[anybodies]

They're taking it well all things considered.

[She's had time to adjust to the whole idea. The idea had less detail at the time, but still.]

What are your favorite theories?

private text;

[forgodssake]

there's a space god demon thing living in the white room and its psychic tentacles are attached to our minds to bend us to its whim
and the sickness/physical contact relationship is resultant of some sort of power imbalance

don't tell anyone I said tentacles they'll stop listening to me

private.

[milagros]

Have you had any intelligent in-put?

( she could've looked at the responses first, but he's, you know, already dealt with all of them. easier to ask if there's anything worth wading in for. )

private.

[forgodssake]

reactions mostly
offers of assistance re more psychic test subjects
some good questions
not all of which I could myself answer

text.

[wiped]

But a what? What were you going to say?

text.

[forgodssake]

attachment
implications of something trying to break away and it's strengthening in counter throw into question whether it's a barrier i.e. something dividing us from it/protecting us

but I'm not sure what else to call it

[brainsqueeze]

What is it if it isn't a barrier?

[forgodssake]

attachment
its grip

[regulatingpressure]

[ 'when we seek physical contact'. now raven feels stupid. here she'd figured it was coincidence, or something a lot less scientifically verifiable. ]

anything i can do?

[ she's not even going to try and wrap her head around this in full right now. not until she can get this headache to subside a little. ]

[forgodssake]

in which sense?

[ To help herself, to help others, so on. He's getting a few different angles and doesn't wish to assume. ]

text; private

[strayed]

[A while after the initial post, after most of the reaction's died down (after she's taken her own time to weigh up this news):]

You think it can make people do things.

text; private

[forgodssake]

I think we are sometimes made to do things
this does offer a convenient explanation for that, doesn't it?

text;

[axeyou]

[Also much delayed, long after she's brainstormed some solutions. None of which involve cuddling or much physical contact--]

You're going to figure out how to get rid of it.

[The right? goes unsaid. This can't really be a question.]

text;

[forgodssake]

yes

[ It's a struggle not to qualifier that with wafflier language, with academic exception, with uncertainty. ]