[ On flips the device and the sound of rustling can be heard, followed by a frustrated sigh and Ariadne asking: ]

Does anyone know if others can gain access to your room? [ a beat ] Because something of mines missing.

[ a long pause and she is cursing under her breath. ] And no, I didn't misplace it.



[ the feed ends at that, as she is quickly going back to looking for her totem and trying to figure out what to do. ]

[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.))

...Did I make it to the next level?

[Anna is all too familiar with these strange devices, appearing in a video clip with her red hair tied back as best she can with how sticky it still is from the pod fluid. She's half dressed, the uniform on, but unzipped low in the front as she peeled off a layer of blue goo from her chest where it got caught in a hand print shaped scar deeply marked in her skin. Frowning she flicks it off unto the floor.

There is a badge pinned to her waist though, clearly police force by the shape with the words S.T.R.I.K.E. visibly embossed at the top.]

At this point making it to a shower would be enough. Purgatory did at least provide them in the past.

As pointed out in a recent transmission, there are some individuals here who resemble one another. There are others whose worlds are similar to others', while others still have worlds that differ radically.

The following is a survey designed to attempt to determine whose worlds are most similar to whose. As a full disclaimer, I am not a trained sociologist/demographist, nor do I claim to be. My credentials extend no further than merely dabbling in disciplines related to those and having studied the science of writing the census briefly when I was younger. Nevertheless, I believe this may be a useful diagnostic tool.

I would encourage everyone who sees this to take a look at others' responses. If you see something familiar, please discuss with the other individual what that similarity is; from there, please try to determine just how similar/different your worlds are.

This is completely optional.

( The survey can be found after this break in the text. )

[The feed opens and Mary is smiling pleasantly into the camera. She's much more versed in the communicator than when she made her first network post.]

Hello Everyone. Mary here. I know anyone who was sick has recovered or is well on the way but if anyone needs anything- anything at all- I'd be happy to help you.

[She tucks a piece of her hair back behind her ear.] I thought I might as well check in with those who know me. So please, let me know that you're alright.

[She smiles again, having said all she wanted to. She looks as if she's about to cut the feed when an idea occurs to her then she adds one more thing as an afterthought.]

Oh. And I was just wondering, who else didn't get sick? I know there were some of us out there- and I don't know about you- but I'd like to know why.

[She gives a little nod and cuts the feed.]

[ bruce does not much like posting on the network. mostly because it involves people looking at him, people not his team. but betty asked, and there's not a whole lot he won't do under that particular duress.

so he taps on a video feed, trying not to let how much this whole mess feels personal show on his face. ]

I know we're all tired and run down, but there have been some developments. Bet-- Dr. Ross and her colleagues have discovered some. [ he pauses, sighs. ] Some disturbing news. In the interest of full disclosure and transparency-- [ and isn't that politician double speak. he sighs, starts again. ] Sorry, habit. I'll try and speak plainly: none of this is reassuring, but we all at least deserve answers.

The creatures-- [ his mouth twists at that, but he doesn't stop speaking this time. ] appear to be a product of some kind of experimentation. Overwhelmingly-- by a margin of eighty percent-- their genetic makeup is simple, baseline human, but there's another twenty left that appears to be a cocktail of lion, dingo, and crocodile. Their organs were... largely human in appearance, with tweaks here and there. We can't tell you how or why just yet, but we can tell you they weren't doing well even before we got there. Based on the sample brought back by Mr. Clarke and his team, there was a high rate of malnutrition, as well as clear evidence of cannibalism. Whether that was by necessity or not, we can't say. What we can say is that they were most likely dying before we got there-- their cells were deteriorating, in what if I had to hazard a guess would be a side effect of whatever process made them into hybrids. There was also a shared high rate of some pretty nasty infected wounds, and I'd recommend anyone who was bitten or scratched and hasn't already done so should stop into Medbay and make sure they'll heal cleanly.

[ his back straightened during that little speech-- science is easy. now it's just bruce, and he takes off his glasses and cleans them on the front of his shirt, slumping a little again. ]

I wish I had more comforting answers, or even just complete ones. And to keep the hits coming, the computers in the newly cleared labs were wiped clean. We're looking into digging harder or establishing a timeline, but it's slow going. If anything new turns up, someone will make another announcement. Until then, it's hurry up and wait.

[ and as a slender hand reaches into frame to squeeze his shoulder, bruce cuts the feed. ]

( text | filtered to the axvengers ( and jarvis + betty ) | 95 % unhackable )

So hey, I'm going to make this pretty short, since I know a lot of people are still trying to get back on their feet - myself included. I heard there was talk of 'hellbeasts' in the newly rediscovered science lab.

Well, being a man of... let's say 'applied sciences'. I'm willing to head over there in the next couple days and clean out as much as I can. I've done this type of thing before, so it isn't exactly new to me. If anyone wants to accompany me to get these things taken care of, you either need to be really good at fighting, or be armed in some way, but I'm willing to take anyone who needs to vent at these things.

All you experimental types who want a sample of these things, speak now or forever hold your peace. This kind of work is pretty notably messy, so if you want someone to drag one of these things back, it's likely going to be at least missing a limb or two and not exactly be moving.

Once I know who all's planning to come with me, I can figure out a good time for us to head out there and clean out the lab so people can actually use it.

Clarke out.

Okay, so now that we've pretty well determined this whole feeling like crap thing is kind of a club a lot of us are gonna need the t-shirts for-

[ Robin doesn't look so hot. But then who does right now? There's tiny beads of sweat balling up where he's just recently wiped them away from his hairline, there's this darkening blue that's ebbing in patches at his mouth. He looks pale, which isn't so shocking when you consider what else his body's going through right now. Normally he wouldn't even post to the network like this, but all things considered, well. ]

[ He plants a hand onto the mattress underneath him, edging himself a bit more upright. His face twinges like he might wince, but he holds it in. ]

This isn't gonna make a lot of sense to a whole lot of you, so sorry about that, but for the people it does, [ and he leans in a little meaningfully, pressing his sunglasses firmly up his nose, ] we have gotta get a better way to communicate. Look, I can make a filter, but I have to know what numbers I'm dealing with here. It's a big ship. And I've got twenty bucks on me missing a person or two who might be here and I just haven't tripped over yet.

So. Assemble, or whatever.

[Zatanna slowly blinks into the camera, looking very much not like herself.  The normally perky 14-year-old's eyes are glossed over, and her skin has taken on a very unhealthy shade of palish-green.  There are beads of sweat across her brow.  She is partially slumped over against the bench she's partially sitting--but mostly slouching--in.]

Will s'mbody tell them to turn the heat down?  S'too hot...

[A hand rises to her forehead for a moment, swiping at the strands of hair plastered to her face.]

Can barely...

[But she loses her train of thought mid-sentence]

...oh, never mind, I'll do it.

'Looc nwod'

[The spell was intended to provide her with an ice pack.  Or at least a fan.  Instead, it starts snowing right over her head; a personalized cloud that begins dumping crystalized flakes on top of her, and nowhere else.]

[She glares up at the offending cloud for a moment, before giving up with a shrug.  Sliding down even further, she repositions herself so that she's now laying down on the bench.  Her eyes close shut, and it's almost as if she's forgotten the camera was still focused on her.]

Close enough.



((ooc: Zatanna's sick, and it's affecting her powers.  Rescue rights go to Superboy/Conner (seethemoon)-- ie: He'll be the one to ultimately take her to the medical bay.  But otherwise, everyone's welcome to contact and/or offer help.))

[ faith has a cigarette lighter in her hands, and she watches it for a moment. click: open, fire. click: closed, no fire.

click click click. ]

So, this is space. Final frontier, boring crap on NOVA, blah blah blah. I got the jump-- thing, whatever. Here's my issue. I got what they call 'anger management problems', and this kidnapping shit? It's jumping right up and down on my last freaking nerve right now.

[ click. click. click. she sets down the lighter, smiling at the communicator with a grin that looks more like a baring of her teeth than anything resembling pleasure. baby steps! ]

So let's make a deal. Somebody uses the simple words to explain what the hell I just walked into, and I don't have to bust any skulls. Sounds fair to me.

[ and she's out. MAKING FRIENDS AND INFLUENCING PEOPLE WITH FAITH LEHANE. ]

[The feed starts and all you see is Superboy's bemused face. He's obviously having second thoughts about this already... but there's no going back.]

Uh, so. Something happened. I know it's been a while since that stuff with the gas happened, but I don't know how to make things better.

And I'm not good with words, either. So I tried to make holograms to explain what happened, but I'm not as good with the machinery in here yet to manage that... have some drawings instead.

( [OOC cut for image heavy] )
 

I totally broke his back. So... uh, how do you say 'sorry' to somebody when you've done something like this?

[ here we have Uhura! being entirely too formal again. these are two separate video transmissions, both under links that you'll have to click on to view, in case you only have interest in one subject or the other. or neither. right. basically she doesn't feel like clogging up your airwaves with her requests and stuff. and it's all under one big protective encryption to keep any creepy anonymous text messengers away. lookin' at you, smiley. ]

A T T N: ALL PASSENGERS

re: tech tutoring

For those who don't know me, my name is Nyota Uhura, and I am offering my services as a communications tutor. Anyone that would like to better understand how to protect the transmissions sent from his or her network devices - from basic levels of safeguards, to more advanced encryptions - please feel free to contact me at any time. As I understand it, there are already quite a few tutors who are willing to teach, but considering the number of passengers aboard the ship, I'm hoping one more won't be unwanted.

re: research assistance

I also have a request: In hopes of becoming further educated on our current situation, myself and a few others have taken on the task of filing through the ship's database. There is a huge amount of literature, both useful and arbitrary, in the ship's library, and we could definitely use more hands and eyes searching for anything that might be useful to us. By that I mean - give us the right information needed to fix those parts of the ship that are broken, as well as tell us what might have brought us here in the first place. How it was even possible. As of right now, I personally have been looking specifically into the history of this particular spacecraft, but the goal of the research is, at this time, open-ended.

That said, if there is anyone on board that is genuinely interested in helping us read through, organize the information we find, or help translate the articles written in various Earth languages, please let me know here. Any help is appreciated, of course, but take note that volunteering comes with the responsibility of recording any useful information you might find, so that we may share it with the rest of the ship at any given time. This is not a personal endeavor by any means, but one that we are hoping will benefit the entire crew in keeping us safe, and maybe even returning us back home.

Thank you.

[ Kasumi's preferred method of dealing with the network is much like her preferred approach to life in general: lurk in the shadows, occasionally emerge to poke things just to see if they're entertaining. But every now and then, she has something she actually wants to say. This is one of those times.

Everyone's been buzzing about all these puzzles and riddles that have been showing up, and she's been keeping an eye on it more or less, though she can't say she's particularly engaged by it. That shows in her voice when she starts to speak. ]

Since we all seem to be enjoying thought puzzles so much these days, here's one to try out: What would you do if you found out that nothing you did had any real life consequences? Not for you or for anyone else. Not now or in the future.

Would you still follow the "rules" or would you toss them out and have a little fun?

[ Chase does not look comfortable. Not spooked, per se, but when the video flickers on the little girl looks tired. Less burdened and more concerned.

This is something she genuinely doesn't know the answer to. ]

Hello, everyone--I regret to be the one to point this out.

[ A beat--she's worryingly playing with the paper bow tie she's made ever since the Doctor disappeared, and with a lick of her lips she's speaking again, eyes darting down to something on her lap. ]

It's funny. This list--it's amused. Laughing at us. I don't--I don't like it. And that's not everyone on the list. It's a fraction of it.

But the laughter. It's ringing in my ears and they're so, so, giddy.

[The white, grinning mask filled the entire screen. It might be pretty recognizable to some. The voice was female, slightly metallic-sounding with a very subtle echo that was likely due to the mask. She still manages to sound quite playful in a dark way.]

Interesting location. Looks like I'm a long way from home... I could use some company.

Let's cut to the chase.

Anyone willing to strike up a bargain benefiting both parties during our stay here had best get back to me soon~. I have quite a few things to offer the right person, should I deem you worthy of my time. It would be foolish to think there aren't advantages to working together.

[At least until she could land on her feet.]

[Zatanna appears on-screen looking like she had just gotten out of the shower.  Her face is virtually unreadable as she tilts her head to one side, towel drying the ends of her long, black hair.  She's dressed in her usual beige capris and purple tank top, though the latter is spotted with water from the wet strands.  Addressing the camera directly, she sounds oddly calm for someone who's just experienced the things she has.]

One question.  

Well, okay, maybe more than that...but for right now, let's just focus on the one.

[She pauses to casually flick her hair back, continuing the drying.  Her voice is flat and unamused.]

Was the slime really necessary?  

[ There's a voice full of gravel and smoke (fire and brimstone) crackling over the airwaves the 'evening' of the jump. ]

Welcome, welcome, boys and girls, to the Good Ship Lollipop.

I assume you've all had a bit of time to wipe that placenta off of your faces from what we call the gravpouches and settle in. And some of you more clever lot may have even had time to read over the welcome message procured by one of your fellow travelers.

But if you haven't, here's the skinny: you're in space. That's right - drifting in a frigate in a galaxy far, far away. No, we don't know how you got here. No, we don't know why, exactly, you're here. Have some dignity and do stop asking us for information on it - it gets extremely tiresome after about the second broadcast.

Do have a sniff around for that information. You may find a lot of those burning questions are answered there.

I'm here, though, to tell you about some things you haven't quite thought of yet.

First off, on the issue of leadership - the official text answer is that you talk to Ward and Resnik. They're driving. However, ask anyone who's been here for a month without their fingers in their ears and you'll hear that this show is run by Captain James Tiberius Kirk - yes, that Kirk, for all you Trekkies. Try not to wet yourselves.

Secondly! If you are human - congratulations! You are the 99%. If you're not, and you have a diet that consists of flesh, blood, or human misery, you might just want to keep that to yourselves. Or talk to Kirk or those boys in the medbay; word on the air is that they're running some sort of soup kitchen.

Finally, for those of you who are wondering about what's on the itinerary for your forced vacation, let me give you a summation of what our delightful host has prepared for us in the past few months. There's been: halls that do a great impression of Endless Youtube, skeletons in the hallway, strange sigils on the wall, hostile alien take-overs, and, just this last month, demon infestation!

Do you feel as if you're being watched? Well, you are, if anything our red-fonted, smiley friend with no traceable source is any sort of authority. I think some people have postulated that the ship itself is alive and, in fact, responsible for bringing us here. It must have gotten bored of its old crew, but after seeing a few of you sorry sods in the locker room this morning, I'm going to have to question its taste a bit.

Well, I think that's about it. If you've got any interesting questions, I might just answer them.

I'm sure a few of you are about to be very cross with me for spilling the beans, and here's my rebuttal: Shame on you. These people deserve to know the truth of what they're in for, especially if they're smart enough to have stuck with me this far.

You've reached the other side of the looking glass, my dears. The sooner you realize you're in for one hell of a ride, the better off you'll be.

Kisses.