The Dashboard Melted But We ... (Ch. 3b: Day 1, pt. III)

Jahkari · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:08 pm

Lingering by the shuttle, Astrid tapped her head with a clipboard. She would be using much more force, if she weren't concerned that it would get her shipped off to a psych ward (assuming, of course, that the ARK has a psych ward). Her mind was racing trying to explain what had just occurred, but at least her feet were on more or less solid ground. Despite the potential danger the ARK presented to them, she had to admit she preferred its stability to space.

Summoning up her courage, she hurried to catch up to the group. She had a feeling they would have questions for her, if they were still even remotely interested in what she had to say anymore.

"Provided they haven't changed things, I believe I know where the med bay is... although seems like a first aid station is already established." She murmured awkwardly, as a sort of peace offering, although she wasn't sure this group would even want to go near there. Glancing at the stranger, she tilted her head and adjusted her glasses. "Do you know what's going on here? And by here I mean the ARK, not... wherever in space we may be. I wish I had access to the computer systems, if only so I could try to figure out where we are more accurately, I doubt even-" Stopping abruptly, she sighed. "I'm rambling. I'm nervous. And terribly apologetic, none of this was supposed to happen, it was supposed to be a simple excursion, or as simple as space travel goes..." She sighed again, still clutching her clipboard.

psikeout · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:15 pm

Rock had glanced to Jam, and considered an appropriate negative-but-as-polite-as-he-could-manage response (probably "no"), but Sheffer approached and derailed his train of thought.

The uttermost form of unexpressive, unemotive, empty-staring disdain greeted the approaching impatient hedgehog's untimely mouthiness. A bloodied and battered Rock stopped, stared a second, and offered nothing in reply but, "Don't talk to me unless you wanna look like me."

And he kept walking, ignoring pretty much... everything, their nervous employer included.

Sheff · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:24 pm

Despite his impatience, Sheffer was fairly unmoved by the primate's comment. Really, it was expected right now, and he simply crossed his arms, his head turning as Rock trudged by. His expression, in short, was unamused.

"Alright, keep walking. Ain't like you'll find anywhere to get treatment for that stuff anyway. Got fifteen others just like you sittin' around, and there isn't a thing we can do about it."

The statement was vague, and the hedgehog turned to walk off as well, already finding the monkey and his companions a lost cause. Maybe he'd be able to find assistance elsewhere. More cooperating assistance.

Seafarinhare · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:25 pm

Wild Badge canted his head slightly when the security guard snapped at him before he could even say what he was looking for. He simply canted his helmet-covered head in confusion. His passenger wasn't even injured. Nothing worth wasting resources to treat, anyways.

"I'm not looking for first aid," he started, "But if you could direct me to where you hold your criminals, or otherwise detained, I would appreciate it."

NPC · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:31 pm

"Criminals?" said the cop in tremendous agitation. One of his eyes might've been twitching. "You can't just go around making citizens' arrests — we're having a hard enough keeping order as it is! I mean, I guess there's the Spotter shuttle," he made another ragged gesture at another non-descript shuttle on the other side of the bay, "but half my security detail's vanished, and we can't make contact with anyone down there—we don't have the man-power to watch, to—wh—"

He stopped, and looked at the charred llama's armour. His expression took on a faint glaze of horrified fascination, in spite of the situation.

"What'd she do, anyway?"

Seafarinhare · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:41 pm

"Look, suffice it to say that she's someone that GUN will be interested in." He said before glancing at the seemingly unimportant shuttle. He wasn't sure if that was really what he wanted.

"Can you point me in the direction of a GUN official, at least? Someone who would have been briefed about the status of a fugitive?" He asked, insinuating that the rent-a-cop didn't know what was going on.

Mie · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:43 pm

Of all the things to get a reaction from Jam, that would be it. She, who had wordlessly shadowed the whiter primate with little more than a backward glance to the green hedgehog, jarred abruptly to a stop mid-stride. She turned, and walked back at harsh pace, swerving around, and cutting into the path of the departing acquaintance with a frigid glare.

"Look," she greeted acidly. She spoke at a low, quick growl, gladly talking over any possible interruptions, as her tone rose in volume and intensity. "I dunno where the hell you get off huffing up to us like we're late, or something, but whatever's going on here? It's not our f**kin' job to investigate it, or fix it, or whatever. We had our own s**t to do up here, which we were doing when he got hit in the face point-blank with an assload of missiles, so don't tell me there's fifteen more just like 'im when you know even less about what happened to us than we know about what happened to you."

With a deep breath through her nostrils, only then did she step back, allowing for retort, and aside, allowing passage. Though her eyes remained narrowed venomously, she said nothing else.

Kazz · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:47 pm

Cooperating assistance was not, however, on the way.
Whence came Murdoch, in the bogs of people? It was a mystery, but he shoved past everyone in his way-- whether they seemed to be injured or not. It was only a lucky chance that the devil's warpath did not directly coincide with Rock. No, he was only a foot or two to the left of the battered monkey.
In fact, he may or may not have actually shoved Jam a bit as soon as she was done calling Sheffer out.

At any rate, he was aiming for the hedgehog, and as soon as he was far too close for comfort, speaking in a voice to make sure that anyone in the general vicinity would get an earful of what he had to say. He even poked the hedgehog in the chest (or, well, belly, considering how Murdoch was a good foot shorter) for emphasis every time he cursed.

"A'ight, what the %$*#'s goin' on, 'ya spiky-assed little &*!&%#!?"
Why he was focusing on Sheffer of all people was something of a mystery, but it was probably best not to ask. He was in a foul(er than normal) mood, and it was a blessing enough that he wasn't taking it by breaking a few more limbs of those assembled.

Tau · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:52 pm

Tau had already manged to briefly work his way into the video surveillance for the bay itself despite the numinous now active wireless signals that cluttered the bay from the refugees shuttles and equipment. He wouldn’t respond to the squirrels comments about desire for access to the colony systems, preferring to work through them on his own, yet shifted his primary optics focus towards the hedgehog as he approached regardless his new found additional ‘eyes’. His focus remained on Sheff up until Rock dismissed the hedgehog. Given the nature of Rocks reply to Sheff, Tau would address the simian in a low voice once the hedgehog was far enough away.

“ . . . a security risk that requires removal. . .? “

NPC · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:55 pm

"Oh, G—" said the man, looking slightly worse-for-the-wear than he had, two seconds ago.

"GUN," he said.

"They—"

"There was some kind of alarm. Something about a matter... deposit. They all—the GUN Security Liaison and the tech specialists requisitioned part of my security detail, and—they all took a shuttle out. I can't pick them up on the radio, I can't pick them up on the radar—half of the equipment on this stupid thing is fifty years old," he said, his voice rising, "and the other half is fifty years old and out of power."

"I'm sorry. I have—I have no idea where they are. Just… leave her with us," he finished, lamely, "I'll... see what we can do."

Sheff · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:04 am

Sheffer was on the verge of turning away just as Jam let loose with the aggression, and he found himself about to reply soon after... only to get a face full of short, more-than-likely-drunk fury. Whatever anger had been spiking for the pink monkey was now peaking as he stared down at the one yelling expletives to his ~~face~~ chest.

But, miraculously, he ignored the Tasmanian Devil's overkill greeting and instead focused on Jam, taking a few steps away from Murdoch (he smelled of something putrid) and looking straight to the monkey.

"Alright, I'm going to make this blunt," he started, and although his voice was laced with some aggressiveness, he was maintaining control right now. "I could really care less what the hell you guys are doing up here, but right now, the $%@&'s hitting the fan. Most of the power's down, no one knows how to run this place, and we can't get into the medical bay to help guys like him." He pointed a quick finger to Rock. "So unless you just want him to sit there and see if licking his own wounds will work out, I'd just like to ask for a slight bit of help here, since no one is wanting to volunteer. Unless you want to actually listen, I might as well go looking for someone else."

In a way, he managed to address both of the people yelling at him, and he even gave an including glance or two towards Murdoch.

Jahkari · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:14 am

Although the little ball of rage and swear words solidly intimidated the science squirrel, she had completely forgotten his presence by the time the green hedgehog was done. This was solidly not good- things were far worse than she thought.

Although Sheff was clearly on his last nerve, and clearly not really addressing her, Astrid spoke up anyway in rare show of assertiveness. "Wait. So not only do we not know where we are in the known universe, but the thing keeping us alive is perilously close to spiraling out of control?" She took a step towards Sheff, paused, then more resolutely walked over to his side. "I've no idea who you are, but. I think... No, I definitely can help." She glanced over her shoulder at the team and sighed. "I'm responsible for bringing them into this entire situation, and it was my oversight that got them in such a shape, so it's only right that I do what I can to at least partially ameliorate the risk everyone is in."

She hugged herself, as if speaking so confidently had exposed herself. She was not good with words, but she was good with science and technology. Maybe it was finally time for her to start being of help.

Now she just had to hope a fistfight didn't break out around her.

Seafarinhare · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:25 am

Wild Badge paused a moment as he took in what was being said. So they had no idea where GUN was. Oh, and the rent-a-cop wanted to take this very dangerous criminal off his hands.

"That's fine... Thanks anyways, but if it's all the same to you, I might just hold onto her for the time being." He said as he turned to look around the hangar with an exasperated sigh.

What now? GUN wasn't even around? Well, as far as that guy knew.

psikeout · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:46 am

Rock stopped.

"Stand by on that," he answered Tau lowly. Whether or not he was serious was... honestly hard to say. His fist was clenching at his side, and, in an unsettling show of surplus of chaos energy, the air immediately around it distorted as if some sort of gravitational fluctuation was warping light itself. His eyes grew that much more intense as he slowly turned back. His bleeding would have worsened from his sheer increase in heartrate, but Tau's coagulant must have been doing its trick.

Astrid's interruption may have been timely. It came right before Rock otherwise would have replied (and what that would have entailed, no one probably wanted to explore). His adrenaline-fueled, single-minded tunnelvision murder-impulses faded quickly into disinterest, then further into self interest, until, with but a shake of his head, he held a hand out toward Jam as if to offer for her to come and take it so they could just... move on.

"We're probably just gonna have to figure out what's goin' on and fix it ourselves," he said lowly to his robotic companion again.

Tau · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:24 am

Tau continued to tag along near Rock not entirely concerned with continuing his body guard duties to the squirrel for the time being. “Acknowledged,“ He responded to Rock’s reply to his own inquiry. Regardless of what the others were up to, Tau continued his investigation into the current and likely newly activating systems for useful information as he tagged along, but would make use of the most indirect methods possible to avoid his true intentions from being detected, or incurring the wrath of any possible awakening security A.I. likely to eventually come online with the recent activity within the colony.

“ . . . Recent events and the the mass addition of what certain systems may consider intruders may begin to make . . . “ He paused a second, as if searching for the right word. “ . . .‘things’ difficult the longer we are here. The likelihood of encountering more P-100 series and other autonomous defense systems are high.“ He trailed off..

The Dashboard Melted But We ... (Ch. 3b: Day 1, pt. III)

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