WEEK 4: DECOMMISSION

[dropoffs]

WEEK 4 ALERT

emergency detected

 

ALERT: EMERGENCY IN THE SIMULATION ROOMS.
LOCKDOWN SEQUENCE ENGAGING.
SYSTEM REBOOT LOCKED.

LIFE SUPPORT STABLE.
CLIMATE CONTROL STABLE.
FUNCTIONALITY WILL RESUME AFTER EMERGENCY ADDRESSED.
WARNING: PROCEED WITH CAUTION

REQUESTING CALLSIGNS:
INQUISITOR AND HARLEY QUINN
REPORT TO THE MAIN SIMULATION ROOM.

A barrier barred me from leaving my location and the other senior officers are not responding to messages. Tread with caution.

CALLISTO

It's somber, this morning, barring the sudden, clipped request sent out by the Eudora. Hard to not be, considering the proceedings of yesterday - the loss of two crew members that you had come to know over the past weeks. The sequestering of one in the brig, the other monitored in the medical bay. The truth of their actions, come to light. The night passes without fanfare, and the sleep is barely fitful, no matter where you have spent the night.

And then, the morning comes.

The walls of the Eudora feel looming in the silence, but duty calls. Temenos and Harley have been requested to investigate the simulation room. There's nothing to guide them through these hallways except their own feet and the familiarity of this alert from many weeks past; there is no compulsion, there is no guiding light, just a request from the synthetic AI voice of the ship herself chirruping over and over again. If others attempt to investigate in their stead, they'll find that they're given no access through the archway of the simulation room's entry, but these two individuals can make it through without trouble.

The simulation room is not off, like it has been the past couple of weeks.

Instead... it's rather different from before.

NAVIGATE
LOCATIONS STATUSES PROFILES AUDIENCES REPORTING PRIVATE CONVOS MURDER SUPPLY SHOP COMMS DOSSIER

Comments

[teenrebellion]

[ assigns them close enough to do this so he can just reach for her, a little blindly while he watches temenos like his life depends on it. ]

He- They'll be okay, right? [ softly, desperately. ] They always come out okay.

[ they have to, don't they? ]

[naeddre]

They'll be fine or else.

[she holds his hand tightly. and then, softer:]

... Nothing will hurt you out here either, Kazuki. It'll be alright.

[teenrebellion]

I'm not worried about me.

[ it's temenos and harley and probably rosamund he's afraid for. but it's a simulation, isn't it? so throne has to be right. he nods and squeezes her hand, echoing her. ]

...Or else.

[naeddre]

I know you're not. [she's worried for you!! you dingus!!!

but it's alright, she's just quiet for now, watching.]

[teenrebellion]

[ kasdjfsk listen,,,,

it gets worse the further they go in there, doesn't it. kazuki winces at the sight of the prince's body. ]

I... I don't know if I can watch this.

[ those are our friends ): ]

[naeddre]

You don't have to. You don't have to keep it in your memories.

[she says, glancing at him finally. just briefly, but she does.]

... If it isn't something you want to see at any point, you can turn your head and I will tell you what happens.

[teenrebellion]

[ he pulls his eyes away just long enough to meet throne's, and nods. ]

Okay. [ turning back, that tower covered in briars... ] ...He'll be able to heal if they get hurt in there, won't he? He did that for us before.

[naeddre]

He should be able to. His message said that his magic is working but not at full strength.

[she still kind of looks like she's going to yartz though]

[teenrebellion]

That's how it was on Verdure, too.

[ hopefully it isn't needed but he's still tense watching them start to climb. rosamund hasn't even shown up yet... ]

[teenrebellion]

[ ooough those bodies are too much like the hanging gardens, so kazuki does in fact look away. and he's good about keeping his eyes off of it, until -

throne screams, and that draws his eyes back just in time to watch temenos fall, blood running cold with terror. ]

Tem--

[naeddre]

[this is the longest fall that has ever happened]

[teenrebellion]

[ i hate sisi so much kazuki's just watching in abject horror as temenos falls and hits the ground but -

he's okay? he glitches right back to the tower? and kazuki's soul leaves his body. ]

He's...

[ back on the tower??? shakes. me and kazuki, both of us, ]

[naeddre]

[yeah her soul too. she hasn't let go of kazuki yet.]

He's... it's. [yeah.]

[teenrebellion]

[ whatever relief he felt for temenos is short-lived. they enter the room, and there is rosamund, already strung up and motionless.

his mouth works silently, but can't seem to get out any words, so instead he takes a trembling breath and covers his eyes with his free hand. his grip on throne's hasn't budged. ]

[naeddre]

[she glances at him - sees his face covered, and swallows hard. she holds his hand very tightly.]

... They're going to get her down. [she murmurs to him.] If you want me to stop telling you, tap my hand.

[teenrebellion]

[ he nods several times, as if the movement might assuage some of what he's feeling. it doesn't, of course, and his voice still shakes. ]

O-Okay.

[naeddre]

[okay well. definitely don't look OR listen.]

[teenrebellion]

[ man he wishes he could turn off his ears right now. ]

R-Rosamund-san... Is she...

[ does this mean she got to choose, after all? was that really the best they could hope for, for her? ]

[naeddre]

She's dead. She... I don't know what happened, all I can do is listen.

[...]

Temenos and Harley will tell us.