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[germhating_hypochondriac]

[Eddie paces as he talks. There's a cast on his arm with the word loser written in black, with a red V written over the s to spell lover.]

Hello? Can you hear me? We're all kidnapping victims here; you guys know that right?

This nanite stuff sucks. There are tiny germ sized robots crawling around inside us! Something's gotta be powering them. They could be hanging out in our stomachs eating our food. Or they could be eating us and making tiny little holes inside our bodies. They could all build up in one place and block off the blood flowing through our arteries and our veins. Or build up in our organs, our lungs and our brains! And, our bodies are mostly water. They could be rusting inside us.

[He stops pacing and starts scratching his face with his cast-free hand]

I think I'm allergic to them! Everything's itchy. I'm gonna break out into hives!

[He starts wheezing and rubs his chest.]

I could be allergic to the tattoo too. I'm just a kid. I shouldn't have one. I think it's starting to swell up. I could have an infection. Or a blood disease. I don't trust these government people to be clean.

[The wheezing continues and his voice becomes strained with each word. He takes his inhaler out of a fanny pack and uses it, only speaking again when he's breathing is back to normal.]

How are we supposed to deal with this shit?

Comments

Re: permavid

[germhating_hypochondriac]

What the - ?

[He manages to stop himself before he swears at the blue face, wondering if this is a new danger to worry about. He's from the 80s - terminator was popular.]

Is that what you really look like?   Are you a machine?

[mortalweapon]

Confirmed.
This is currently my actual appearance.

Technically, I am a sentient codestruct.
But for simplicity's sake, yes.
I am a machine.
Though I fail to see how that is relevant to your litany of present concerns.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Only currently?

[Yup, definitely some kind of terminator. Or..]

Are you like a life-sized nanite?  That would be really relevant.  Especially if these things can grow bigger and burst right out of me.

[mortalweapon]

I have been known to change my container.
Whether for practical or aesthetic reasons.

I am not a nanite.
Nanites are, by their definition, approximately one nanometer.
I am six feet tall.
And exactly 275 pounds.
Does that adequate assuage your fears?

[germhating_hypochondriac]

[A confused look.] You're a machine inside another machine?  Or in a costume?  [Now he'll worry about machines showing up at his work.]

That's what nanite means?  They should put that in the information packet.  [He shakes his head.]  Nah, 'cause I still don't know how nanites work and what they're doing.

[mortalweapon]

I am a self-aware program.
A binary entity.
The 'machine' is simply the physical form by which I interact with the world.

My name is Danger.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

[He thinks for a moment.]  Oh.  Sort of like a program in a computer.  My mom doesn't let me use computers.  She says they have radiation. Do you have radiation?

My name's Eddie.

[mortalweapon]

Yes.
Like a computer.
If that computer had thoughts and feelings.

Hello, Eddie.
You are a very small and nervous human.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

[A guilty look.  He doesn't want to be a bully.]Did I hurt your feelings with my questions?  Sorry. 

[Very true.]  I'm supposed to be small.  I'm a kid.  We should all be nervous.  This shit's insane.

[mortalweapon]

No.
My feelings are intact.
Thank you for your inquiry.

[ A curious pause. ]

Are you alright, Eddie?

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Yeah.  I'm okay.  I just get scared sometimes.  And this is a lot of new stuff at once.

[mortalweapon]

It is.

[ She acknowledges this readily. ]

It is normal to be afraid.
You are made of soft flesh and relatively defenseless.
Your fear suggests that your survival instinct is still functioning well.

[ Was that... Supposed to be comforting??? ]

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Yeah.  I know.

[Soft. Defenseless. Delicate. Weak. Fragile. He's heard that all before.]

That's true. I am a survivor. [He fought Pennywise with his friends and won.]I wish everyone else here had a good survival instinct too.  Maybe we'd get some answers.

[mortalweapon]

Perhaps I may be of assistance.
I am a veteran of these circumstances and have dealt with the Porter in some capacity on and off for many years.
What answers do you require?

[germhating_hypochondriac]

What are the side effects of nanites, porters, tattoos, all of it?
How we can turn off our powers if we don't want them?
How do we stay safe here if weird shit happens?
Can we make sure our friends come with us if we get sent home?

[mortalweapon]

[ Calmly, steadily, in a stream of words: ]

Nanites largely function to protect you; however, they have been known to occasionally malfunction.
We are continuously at the whim of the Porter.
Between these two facts, life as an ImPort can be somewhat irregular.
Power nullifying technology has previously existed in this world.
Current availability: Unknown.
Safety is impossible to guarantee.
You have no control.
You cannot bring anyone with you when you go home.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Malfunction how?  Are they gonna burst out of me like that alien movie? 

What the fuck?  We just get fucked if the porter decides to act up or other shit happens?  There needs to be rules and safety codes.

[He shakes his head.] 

Nope.  No way.  I'm not leaving Richie in danger land and he wouldn't leave me behind either.

[mortalweapon]

I have yet to witness nanites bursting from a person's body.
Technically speaking, it is probably possible, if unlikely.

[ WOW HOW BOUT SOME BEDSIDE MANNER THO, MISS ROBOT??? ]

You will find out quite quickly that the Porter cares very little for your preferences.
But most ImPorts adapt and learn to cope.
Truthfully, there is very little choice.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

I'll keep it on the list of ways this place might fuck us all over.

[He is making a list, to be followed by a list of ways to stay safer, or at least make himself feel like he has some control.]

I don't care much for the porters and what they want either. Richie and I will figure it out.Los...Friends like us always stick together. Always.

[mortalweapon]

A admirable sentiment.
You care very much for your friend.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Of course.   I love my friends.  They're the best.

[mortalweapon]

[ Curiously: ]

Oh?
Please elaborate on what makes these friends so exemplary.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

They helped me have a life when my mom wanted to keep me inside all the time.  They're really brave and smart and kind and creative and strong and funny. We killed a monster together.

[mortalweapon]

Acknowledged.
It is an admirable feat, for such small humans to kill a monster.

[ She doesn't question the fact. Maybe monsters are normal where she comes from? ]

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Had to be us.  Pennywise messed with the adult's heads - made them not realize what was going on and not give a shit when other kids went missing.  My friend, Bill, he was the one who convinced us to kill It.  Bill always knows what's right.

Did you ever fight a clown monster?