[ well, irene's in holmes' room again. she's lighting his pipe, the comm balanced on her knee. it's possibly the least careful she's been about her presence here since this whole charade started. ]

It seems my dear Mister Holmes has been taken away. Or perhaps his blasted turkey ate him, I'm not entirely certain. But he's nowhere to be found, and his communicator seems to be inactive. I'm told this means he's vanished along with the rest of the crowd.

[ there's a pause. irene's tone is so bitter and she knows she'd do well to reign it in, but. ]

Damnably rude of him, leaving without a word to anyone.

[ because that's irene's trick, isn't it? there's a pause, and then she turns off the feed. ]

[ The first thing you see is... well, nothing.

Then there is rustling and clumsy movement of the communicator, eventually revealing September, eyes not meeting the video feed, but it indeed is him. The usual bright blue have dulled.

There's more rustling, September feeling for something on the communicator. ]

No video, just audio today.

[ But September, the video feed is on, can't you see that?

( Precisely, that's the problem. Even his sweater is on backwards. )

His eyes never meet with the feed, appearing to focus on nothing in particular. ]

Curious, but does anyone here actually have a sleeping schedule or sleeping hour?

And... has anyone been having nightmares lately?

[ Smooth, Mr. Dream Eater. ] Let's call it curiosity. By the way, you should all use audio, I'm kinda... caught up on something.

[ Liar.

Now watch as September turns off the feed a few failed attempts later. ]

( ooc: SO September has not been dream feeding for a long while and the effects are rolling in. He's temporarily blind until he feeds again, thus his lack of coordination! )

[ tranquility! you were totally missing tony. or at least some of you were from the state of his communicator when he came back into a place where he could read it. whatever, there's some noise in the background that sounds suspiciously like the medbay when tony actually starts the feed up. there's a reason for this kids, but tony, being tony, isn't particularly up for explaining what it is beyond a select few. but hey, if you're feeling lucky, you'll actually be able to see what really happened hidden in this post. ]

I know what you all are thinking, how dare you disappear like that and worry half of the ship or at least random parts of it who were crying about it. Lost is actually the technical term for what I did, since I meant to just take a small stroll and then suddenly I took a bad turn it wasn't that bad. My bad, though, next time I'll take a map or something to show me around not just the communicator. Left the nonexistent map in my room clearly, which yes, I know, Tony, that was incredibly idiotic of you. But hey, it's not the worst thing any of you will or have seen me doing by  a long shot. And I have a thing about making interesting life choices like that. I could have disappeared during a time like the plague we had. Or during the lockdown. At least now it's shockingly quiet minus a few things. [ or disappearances, but hey, no one needs to know he noticed alayne was gone. he'd like to personally forget he ever saw that. but you know, he sees too much and he can't really take that back now can he? ] I'm not typically one to give little messages about how we should pay attention so nothing bad happens, because really, I'm pretty sure some of us keep watch enough so a number of you all can rest easy and not spend every waking moment monitoring the network. But I think, when everyone is wandering around, you might want to make sure you're watching where you step. You don't want to be like me coming out feeling gross and like you could eat a horse.

There's an old saying about that, I think. Eye or eyes have it.

Anyway, I'm not dead, rejoice or cry into your space food, either one is really fine with me actually. And you know, because I'm feeling generous after coming out of the hellish hallways, I know we have some engineers on here and I know we have people who randomly build things, I don't care about them, technically, but I do care if some of you might actually need something say built for you and are wondering god, who would do that for me, well as it turns out, I do actually have a lot of free time to do various projects and I seem to be lacking in them right now and for the foreseeable future. So, to rectify this, consider this me asking all of you to come to me if you're dying to have something done in the vein of building things for you. I could do encryptions, but people can be weirdly fussy about those. Whatever, you know my number. Call me if it sounds good to you maybe.

[ avengers encryption | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

Meeting as soon as I get out of medbay. Just with the four of us. Christ, we're down to four again. Awesome. Pepper sitting in, obviously, if only because I'm a little worse for wear as it turns out. 

[ encrypted to listmates | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

What are we down to now? Eighteen? Nineteen? Caffrey and I just randomly disappeared only to come back just a bit fucked up. I think this calls for a list members meeting. Just for kicks. And I don't actually care if you're rolling your eyes at this, any of you, because personally, I'm just a bit tired of wondering if one of us is going to magically get killed or disappear at a jump. Or, as Caffrey and I have demonstrated, just randomly get lost in a ship we've been on for months.

[ encrypted to neal caffrey | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

And it seems as if I'm not the prodigal son any more. Separate talk, you and me. Or do I offend your hipster sensibilities too much still?

[ encrypted to spock | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

...Can I trust you to keep a little secret from someone? You know who I'm talking about, I imagine, but if I do tell you something, it needs to stay extremely hush hush.


[ ooc | okay, two things! one, bare with me on any slowness with this post since i put it up now as opposed to monday for a very specific reason. and two, there is actually something wrong with tony, but he's not as crazy as neal was when he came back. what happened to him was more physical with a tiny bit of crazy added in that i might sprinkle in this post. this does not mean mr. stark will be dropping metaplot hints, because i don't really have any to actually give! beyond what we already know because of spock's misadventures in melding with the ship. 

what is hidden in this post and will be mentioned for sure is what exactly happened to tony and the "why" of what happened. so yeah, that's the end of this grossly long note. ]

[ Hooray for... quiet and controlled network announcement-making. It is the way of the future. John clears his throat and gets this business nipped in the bud. ]

Looks like Sherlock Holmes has left the Tranquility. That's zero-zero-seven, one-zero-two, not the other... two of them. Not that I'm aware of, at least. If there are more running around that I've not heard from yet, now's a good opportunity to speak up.

[ And a very brief pause. ] I'm sure he'd have left behind a legacy of unflattering deductions about everyone if he'd had the time. Might be just as well that he never got around to it.

That's all, thanks.

[Jim might be talking a little too loudly on this broadcast, but he doesn't- well actually notice. he's not using video because he's still in medical because some people haven't let him leave yet.

probably because he only just woke up about an hour or two ago. maybe if he hadn't been quite so reckless he wouldn't be in this situation. it's honestly thanks to a quick response and the advanced medical facilities that he didn't go completely deaf.

still, there's something oddly... cocky about the way he speaks. a little more brash than he normally is.]

Jim Kirk here.

Anyone new to the ship, welcome aboard, though I wish we could've met under better circumstances. The earlier broadcast you all might have noticed was from our anonymous friend known as Smiley. Needless to say, it isn't the most helpful entity on board. [which is probably the most aggressive thing he's ever said on the network about the thing. gee, Kirk, you sure are acting a little off.]

If you haven't done it already, I suggest going over the compiled FAQ. Your comms device has a text to voice option if you're unable to read it. I'm willing to answer questions if you have them.

[then there's a shift in his tone, a weight to his voice that sounds a little frustrated; another of his good staff gone.]

Also, John Watson of the first wave is no longer with us.

Kirk out.

[this is surprise.]
Oh.

[this is distress.]
I - I... uh - fuck -

[this is panic.]
I need - fuckin' son of a bitch I need, um, someone here, right noww, the pool - [there's a little gasping breath, followed by a more sincere attempt at deep breathing. eridan doesn't even try to sound Okay at all.] Someone's in...

[and finally, the verbal shoulder-slump of defeat.]
Someone's drowwned in the pool.

[this is not what he wants to be doing right now at all, in the slightest, he was just supposed to look around real fast, just a quick look before he kept wandering, there wasn't supposed to be anything wrong.] I need John Wwatson. 001, uh, just the 001. An', uh. Shit. [there's the sound of frustrated typing for a minute, then,] 002-215. That one. I need both'a you to... Talk to me.

Someone else come help me. He's definitely...

[there's a long pause here, almost a minute, and then:] He's been here for a wwhile. There's nothin' else to do.


[002-215, Neal Caffrey and 001-197, John Watson are getting a notification every minute for this post until they respond.]

((OOC: way to brutalize the /small tag, whoops. anyway all responses voice, it is completely likely that anyone who knew Sherlock will get a pretty clear idea of who Eridan's referring to with such a dramatic call-out to Neal and Watson. uuuhh other than that yep that's it Sherlock's dead guys.))

[ tranquility, you may remember this woman from her first broadcast or from the various times she's popped up in others. those who know her are aware that you could have either gotten a woman who has barely anything on or someone who looks rather put together in whatever she happens to be wearing. the second option is the one she chooses to show off today, dressed in a white suit, with her hair done up in a deceivingly loose bun. off camera her nails are tapping a steady beat like she's waiting for someone before she finally speaks, her tone rather dry to start off with. ]

Since no one felt like stepping up and saying what I'm certain a number of us have considered, I suppose the task falls to me at the moment. [ she pauses, exhaling quietly before continues. ] For those of you who are new, most of what I'm going to mention makes little to no sense, but the basics for understanding what I'm saying lies in knowing that there is a list of certain individuals on this ship that, for all the geniuses we have present on board, no one has figured out the meaning to. The people on this list vary from those who are from the first jump, 001s if we're going by tattoos to those who came aboard on the sixth jump, the 006s, if we are, again, going by tattoos. 

I realize that no one wants to perhaps deal with the ramifications of what I'm about to suggest, but avoiding it may prove to be as damaging as letting it out into the open. [ another pause. ] There are eight individuals from the list that have taken their leave of this ship. Considering the fact that the list is comprised of 38 individuals, that is a bit more than twenty percent of it. A slightly distressing number when we're in rather confined space, if you ask me. I realize that only two of the individuals have officially died, but the other six have disappeared without warning, and though it pains me to say it, I believe you can't confirm that they're dead or alive. 

I'm certain some of you have already theorized this in private, but in the interest of disclosure, I believe we should share the theory with the metaphorical class. [ her lips curl into a bittersweet sort of smile and then she says it: ] It's beginning to look more and more like it is a hit list. Or at least a list of the individuals the one we call Smiley doesn't necessarily want on the Tranquility, which considering who is on the list, I must say, I'm slightly concerned.

This is just a thought, though. It's probably just a rather unfortunate coincidence. 

[ and then there's this really long pause before irene appears to have remembered something that she had meant to say. ]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone figured out how to charge a phone from home on this ship?

[good morning Tranquility!]

Anyone planning on joining us for our little jaunt to Strela should arrive at the shuttles at least fifteen minutes early. [it won't mean death if you don't, but it will mean you'll miss the ride.] Pilots, earlier than that, but try to keep the bloodshed over who gets to drive to a minimum. [you can hear the grin in his voice.]

I know a lot of us, including myself, will be happy to get off the ship for a while, but remember that we're still in foreign space. We'll be guests on this station so we should try to be minding our manners.

[still, and this is the point of this broadcast:] Stay in contact with one another and try not to wander off on your own. [a beat.] And if you do bring your weapons, try not to flash them around. Most places don't take to that kindly, regardless of what part of space you're in.


Kirk out.

[It's almost impossible to see her, as the room she's in is dark.  Very dark.  But as one's eyes adjust to the incredibly dim lighting, they might be able to make out the young girl's face and hair.  Expression completely blank, with twin telltale streaks glistening with the occasional shift in movement.  She appears to be sitting on a bed of some kind, sitting with her back against the wall.  But not her room.  No, there was no way she was going back there.]

I spent the last two months wondering what exactly the worst part about this place was.  And I think I've finally figured it out.

[Her voice is slightly hoarse, and eerily calm for the subject at hand.]

It's not the part where our lives are constantly in danger.  It's not the fear, or the uncertainty.  Or even the fact that we've had to watch people die right in front of us.  I'd been through all that even before I came here.

No, the worst part of it is the cruelty of bringing aboard people you think are your friends, until you realize they're nothing more than strangers with familiar faces on them.  That, just when you've managed to find that one little bit of hope that you think could help get you through anything...it's all revealed to be one big lie you fell for.

Well, I'm not falling for it anymore.  So, congratulations, whoever's in charge.  You win.  

I'm done with all of this.

[In a single, swift motion, she ends her speech by hurling the stupid communicator across the room.  It shuts off upon impact.]




((OOC: Takes place shortly after Zatanna and Artemis have a particularly heartwrenching exchange of words post-jump.  Replies will be slightly delayed, as Zatanna would have to muster the will to walk across the room to collect her miraculously not-broken communicator first.  ACTION open to any who would know how and/or want to find her.))

Dr. McCoy here, and this is a general announcement about something I think everybody on this ship could stand to hear about. So if you don't mind, I won't take more'n a minute of your time.

I know you're all gonna say you're adults and don't need any lectures 'bout the birds and the bees. But I also know that most of you are inherently reckless and tend to think you can beat anything that tries to pull you down through sheer stubbornness. I got no illusions that recent events will have hammered any common sense into places it never resided in the first place. And it's a fool's errand to think for one minute any of you are gonna abstain from sex just because there are risks. So let's address how you can avoid those risks, and we here in Medical can avoid wasting our time doling out STD treatments.

First things first: birth control, condoms, basic supplies for intercourse. Yes, we have 'em, and yes you can get 'em from us. All you gotta do is ask. See? Easy.

Second: sexually transmitted diseases. I can guarantee not a single person on this ship can name every STD lyin' in wait out there. We're from different places, different times, different species. A minor rash for one person could be deadly for another, so takin' a few minutes to get informed and take the right precautions just might be the difference between a decent sexual experience and a ship-wide outbreak of Andorian shingles. So I'm uploading some pamphlets, and I expect you to all take the time to read 'em.

Third: testing for sexually transmitted diseases. If you've been havin' sex since you came aboard and you haven't been tested, get down here and get tested.

[ This portion of the transmission ends with an uplink to a number of STD pamphlets, courtesy of Starfleet Medical. Imagine something like this CDC site, but with a lot of alien diseases added.

The second portion of the transmission is flagged to the Medical Staff AND those characters who volunteered in Medbay during the stasis sickness outbreak. ]

Okay, with that out of the way -- at the moment we have exactly zero patients checked into Medbay. Which in my mind makes this as good a time as any for a good old-fashioned We Ain't Dead Yet celebration. If you're on staff or you volunteered during this last crisis, you're invited. Feel free to bring a guest if you want, but keep in mind it's BYOB and I'll sedate anybody who gets out of hand.


[OOC: Yes, it has been confirmed that Medbay has birth control, condoms, lube, feminine hygiene products, etc. As far as the Medbay party, if your character is officially on the Medical Staff or you ICly OR OOCly arranged for them to be volunteering during the recent modplot, consider yourself invited. Plus-ones are also welcome. There will be a log shortly, which I will link here. Log posted here.]

I've been here long enough to know that alternate and parallel universes exist. I can say with confidence that this ship holds multiple versions of the same person; for instance, there are three Sherlock Holmeses and three John Watsons. Naturally, each correspond with their own Sherlocks and/or their own John. As the months go on, it will be increasingly difficult to tell between myself and others, which is why it's handy to have our communicators. With each message, your unique number shows up underneath the initial post: this is a good way to ensure that you're talking to the 'corrrect' Sherlock (though know that we share our devices when the whim strikes us).

In short, stop being stupid.

Now, onto my initial reason for addressing the network: I have experienced several different memories that differ from my dopplegangers. Because of this, we can assume that there are subtle differences in behaviour, reactions and interests. Whilst we remain the same in many ways, those differences might end up defining us (which is frankly appalling, but then who am I to judge a 'thriving' civilisation of six months?). I am the third Sherlock Holmes to arrive, though my likeness is shared with only one. An intriguing phenomenon, but our memories are reasonably inconsistent.

I've decided to tell you about my stay on the island of Atia, though I intend to make it quick. I have in my posession the communicators we used to talk to one another. Whilst the connection to the network has been severed, a few things still remain, such as the guides thrown out to every new comer in order to save both time and effort. You may have gathered that this island is of a seedy virtue, and your impressions are entirely correct: we were forced into collars like animals, prodded and poked into actions one might not normally take were they under their usual inhibitions. As the strange little rabbit wearing a dress says, it was not a holiday.

And yes, I'm aware that both guides are incredibly hideous.
SH

P.S: A certain prosecutor has insisted that I put up a warning for those that are of a certain age and/or for those that have a weak stomach. Personally, I think 'don't be stupid' covered every base, but apparently one can't be too sure.

Transferring... guide.pdf

_{[ ooc: link is nsfw. sort of. ]}

This is Doctor Watson in medbay- well, one of them- and I'll need your full attention for a moment, please. [ He's phrasing it politely by all means, but this is a serious matter. It wouldn't be a request if he could help it. ]

We can confirm that a cure has been recovered from the maze, and that it is a legitimate one. Please report to medbay if you've been exhibiting any of the symptoms attached and haven't come in, I can't stress it enough. This is a fatal illness if it's left untreated, and there's no reason that it should be left untreated. We'll be getting to everyone as soon as possible. If you need help getting to us or know someone who does, speak up so we can make arrangements.

Thank you.

[ And attaching a list with dem symptoms. That part may take a minute to successfully attach, but it gets there. ]

[ It's the third day that passengers aboard the Tranquility have shown up in medbay with symptoms of some kind of illness. Taken individually, none of them have appeared life-threatening -- physical weakness, loss of coordination, nausea and a mild fever, some ringing in the ears. Things that could be attributed to any number of minor ailments.

When they started presenting with a blue tint to the eyes, lips and nails, that got the medical staff more worried. When someone put it all together and realized that the symptoms all seemed to be linked...well that has the earmarks of an epidemic.

How McCoy ended up with the task of making a general announcement he's not certain, but maybe everyone figures his general doom-and-gloom attitude when it comes to space travel will convey the sense that it's probably not as bad as it sounds, more so than if it came from someone less prone to pronouncements about how they're all likely to die out here.

When the video begins transmitting, it shows him in his blue Starfleet uniform, the wall of the medbay behind him. He isn't smiling, but he isn't looking too worried either. Those who've served with him, however, might recognize that he's wearing his 'CMO' demeanor. ]

I'd like your attention, please. My name is Dr. Leonard McCoy, and I'm one of your medical staff. It's come to our attention down here that there may be some kind of virus makin' the rounds. Before you all start to panic, it doesn't look serious, but it would help us come up with a treatment if anyone exhibiting the following symptoms would kindly stop by for a check-up.

The symptoms are a general weakness or loss of coordination, nausea, fever, ringing in your ears. You may notice a blue tint to your lips, eyes, or fingernails. If you find you have any of these symptoms, get yourself down to the medbay. Could turn out to be nothing, but better safe than sorry.



[ The public transmission ends, but it's followed by two filtered transmissions. ]

( Filter to Medical Staff + Betty Ross + Sue Storm + Aragorn | MED Filter 80% )

( Filter to Enterprise | McCoy Encryption 80% )



[OOC NOTES: Any of the people currently listed as being on medical staff are more than welcome to threadjack here. At this point, although there may be suspicions and conjecture on the part of the medbay staff, no one has pinpointed a specific cause of the symptoms.

Medical Types: If you're not on the medical staff list or specifically named by McCoy, but you have medical/science skills you want to contribute, please feel free to respond to the general transmission and make an offer. He'll add you to the filter.

Enterprise Crew: Feel free to up Bones' encryption if your skills are better, which most of them probably are. ;) ]

[Hello. And again, welcome to the Aperture Science--

Oh wait. That's not right.

Ever since her arrival last week, she's has kept low, isolating herself in her room, listening and learning from everyone's feeds and adapting to being human. Breathing and walking and sleeping and bodily fluids--

She knew humans were a filthy, disgusting race, but she hadn't fully realized how much until last week.

And oh, how she hates it.

And that just so happens to be her topic for this particular feed. Say hello to white hair, yellow eyes and a smirk. Say hello to GLaDOS.]

So. If what you idiots say is correct, we're stranded in space, have no answers and someone's just died a tragic death. And that's terrible.

But that's not what I'm concerned about.

I have a question.

A more ...personal question.

I've noticed that there are people on this ship who are not human. So my question to you is this: Why was I turned into a human upon my arrival here, especially when there are non humans aboard? Because it is not a sentiment that I appreciate. Far from it. In fact, if you were trying to please me, this is the worst thing you could have done.

Well. Aside from murdering me.

[She doesn't know you're here Chell, but that was definitely aimed towards you. She crosses her arms, leaning back. Her gaze is still fiercely focused on the camera, as though her burning gaze may just make the viewer burst into flames.]

So. If you humans are as smart as you claim to be [Doubtful] explain to me how I was torn from my chassis, into this human body and how I can reverse it.

Good afternoon, Tranquility.

My name is John Watson, I'm one of the doctors working in your medical bay. I've got several things to talk to you about today, all of them important, so I hope you'll stick with me through it.

First off, many of you are aware that a death occurred during the jump. For those of you who have just arrived and aren't familiar with the term, a 'jump' is what happens when the ship is moving rapidly from one part of space to another. We make these once a month and they're believed to be the reason we end up here. I don't know the technical details about it -it's only a theory, really, from other passengers- so don't bother asking.

What I know about it is that your life depends on you being present in the medbay before every jump. The consequences are what happened to the deceased, who was trapped elsewhere in the ship during the jump and became crushed by the acceleration. I'm sorry I have to tell you about that, but I want you to realize that getting into the gravpouches is not optional. You get in one or you die.

[ There's a pause here, which may be for weight or for the fact John needs to collect himself once more. ]

An examination was performed on the deceased by myself and Doctor McCoy. We have done extensive tests and have found no drugs to be present in the system. So Hotspur's broadcast was a lucid one, and no one attempted to drug him to keep him from getting out of that shuttle. The cause of death matches with the expected consequences of a jump on an unprotected body.

We cannot say anything in regards to whether or not this incident was accidental or manufactured, but in respect to the body, there is no evidence of foul play.

If you have any questions about the examination, I'll take them.

Just a reminder now - from now on, we'll be reporting to the medbay an hour before the jump to make sure everyone's present and accounted for. You'll likely be sitting in the locker rooms, though, until we can get everyone sorted.

[ Again, a pause. This one is for a transition. ]

Second order of business is to tell you that medbay is short-staffed. We've got about six people to help about four hundred of you. We're looking for medical professionals that have come in through the jump as well as volunteers. If you'd like to come and help us out at medical, we're willing to train you. We're looking for those interested in full-time, part-time, and emergency volunteers.

I'm going to need all of our current medical staff to cue in to this broadcast, because it will be acting as our interview process.

If you think you're interested, keep listening. If not, this broadcast ends here.

( Medical Joining Info )

(( OOC: Medical staff! You may ping in/threadjack these threads, especially those with any potential interviewees! ))