( MEMES ) TEST DRIVE >> 005.

[contagio]

THE TEST DRIVE



Like it or not, you've been dragged from your world into the sanctum. It's a pretty nice city, all things considered--sci-fi, high-tech, glamourous.... Except, of course, for the giant dome encircling it, and the threat of glitching, contaminated zombies at your door. Looks like humanity's built itself a fortress that looks suspiciously like a cage, too. 

The object of this meme is to get people familiar with the world of the Sanctum, and to try to see if their characters would fit in a sci-fi utopia such as this. Here are your options:
1. Intro: Waking Up. Make your intro post, folks. You wake up in a strange place, and get a strange transmission to go with it. There's a pair of glasses connected to some sort of communications network, but otherwise not much else in the room with you. What are you going to do? 

2. Environmental Glitching. Why the hell is it so hot inside the dome? Wasn't it just the perfect temperature yesterday? 

3. Genetic Altering. What it says on the tin. Want a go? Want to suffer the side effects? Want to keep someone you love from getting something done?

4. Memory Glitch. Nobody seems to remember you. Literally. Not your housemates, not your coworkers, not your friends. It's like you never existed.

5. Military Training. Everyone's got to start somewhere. You're training the green folks, maybe you're one of the newcomers yourself. Maybe you haven't even touched a gun before in your life. Either way, you'd better start now.

6. Network Glitches. Strange messages are coming through the network, embedded in posts from other users. Beyond anonymous and completely untraceable, these posters claim that Bifrons has changed more about you than you know. It's suggested that you look into past dealings with Kilo to gain better understanding of what you're up against. Do you investigate?

7. Wildcard. Choose your own adventure or create a cocktail from the presented options! The choice is YOURS.

Comments

[connecticut]

Okay, glad I missed melting skin. That would've been a little to much for me.

[Well, since he's not getting up, she'll forget the water for now and sit down a foot or two away from him. It's hopefully not awkward, maybe just... casual and normal. She was never anyone's best friend in the group, but at least York had a good head on his shoulders. He was one of the ones she liked.

As he speaks, she tenses a little.]

Look, I don't know what anybody had to do with anything. You weren't there, so you're technically not directly responsible. You didn't see it, you didn't do it. You were just a sheep like the rest of them. Pawns.

[With a near sigh, she flops back on the grass. It's not a big deal. It can't be a big deal. She did what she had to do.]

So don't apologize.

[goddamngrenades]

I popped the lock to let Carolina and Tex in.

[ That's damning enough for him. ]

Doesn't make me feel much better that I didn't see what you saw. I wasn't paying enough attention. You understood better than the rest of us what was going on and we all just...went with it.

[connecticut]

I should've figured that one out.

[Seriously, how else did they get in? But he never physically went after her; he was just a tool. Then again, they all were.]

Anyway, you guys were all fucking blind. I tried. I would've done more if I could.

[goddamngrenades]

Orders were retrieval. I didn't think- none of us thought it'd go the way it did. It feels really fucking stupid to say that's when I clued in to how fucked up everything was but that's when it clicked.

[ He should have known after Georgia. After Utah. After the first mission where they weren't being turned on the aliens they were supposed to be fighting and instead were turned on, what? Splinter groups? The 'insurrection'? Bullshit. It was all so much bullshit and he'd bought every last drop. ]

You did plenty. We just- we -didn't have your back as much as we should. Tex got the data you left her. We, me, tex, and North tried to get to the Alpha. Blew the ship to hell and crashed it while that happened. Scattered after.

[connecticut]

[The revelation silences her for several seconds. So it did some good. So Tex did it, and York and North believed her.]

Better late than never. Nobody ever really had my back, no matter how much you want to pretend everyone did. I'm not gonna hold a grudge and, I dunno, stab you in your sleep, but come on. The whole thing was a sick joke. Everybody, everybody was out for themselves.

[goddamngrenades]

Not at first, I don't think. It's...really hard to remember how shit was before the leaderboard went up.

[ But she could be right. Probably was right. They were all the best at what they did, they all had some kind of ego, and they weren't really picked for their skills. They were picked as a social experiment. One that went wrong in a horrible way. ]

We can do better here. We have to. There's no war, there's just Bifrons and trying not to get our heads fucked with their experiments. I'd like to try to at least be, I don't know. Friends. Keep the air clear of everything that fucked us over back home. I mean...only Wash and Carolina make it out in the end.

[connecticut]

Hard to remember when people actually had a real cause to fight for.

[She puts a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun.]

Wash made it? [Relief. Lots of it. So much. At least he got out.] And I don't know half of what's going on here other than the whole "we're totally screwed" aspect of things, but an ally's better than an enemy. Besides, what do I have to lose?

[goddamngrenades]

Mhm. After Epsilon went crazy in his head he was in therapy for a little while, I think. Had to be. But he knew most of what happened. Epsilon remembered everything that was done to him, so Wash knew. [ Poor kid. Never signed up for that, he's pretty sure. ] Carolina made it because- actually I have no idea. I just know she survived.

The rest of us aren't so lucky.

Here, though- we have another shot. To be people, not pawns. So. When all this heatwave bullshit is over, I owe you a few million beers.

[connecticut]

It's a little early to try to get me that hammered, so do me a favor and spread those out over the rest of eternity.

[Is she faintly amused? Yes, she is.]

Whatever happened happened, and we can't change it, so... roll with it. I'm pretty okay. I'm not having weird phantom pain or flashbacks or anything like that. Just... here. It's weird. Pisses me off that Wash did.

[goddamngrenades]

I'm glad. You were...kind of here before. Sort of. S'why I was weird at you for the first few days. They cloned people from our lives that we knew were dead and...well the first two days were fine.

On the third you kind of. Melted. Dissolved.

[connecticut]

[What.]

That's... special.

[goddamngrenades]

It wasn't painless. So I... [ He lifts a hand, miming a gun. ] Yeah.

[connecticut]

[Well. That turns her stomach.]

Thanks?

[goddamngrenades]

Sorry. There's never been a good time to bring it up.

[connecticut]

I don't think that was a good time, either.

[goddamngrenades]

Protip: there is never a good time to do or say shit here. There's just time.

[connecticut]

I'm getting that, believe me. You just, what, wanted me to be ready for people to think I'm dead? Oh, wait. They already thought that.

[goddamngrenades]

Ready for people to think you're a clone. Again. Sorry.

[connecticut]

Fan-fucking-tastic. Just what I needed, to be the elephant in the room.

[goddamngrenades]

Nope. That still goes to Tex. And the director.

[connecticut]

So basically there's a herd. Is anybody not an elephant?

[goddamngrenades]

Delta seems to be getting along with everyone pretty well.

[connecticut]

Good for him.

[Sigh.]

I don't get it. Why isn't he an AI?

[goddamngrenades]

I don't know. He, Theta, Tex, and Alpha are all in human bodies. Epsilon? Got a- well. The most advanced kind of human looking robot they have.





which is a sexbot.

[connecticut]

[One moment please.............................................

SNORT.]