video; backdated to 10/28

[you_tried]

[ Squint your eyes a little everyone, when the feed opens the camera catches the direct glare of the hot sun. Whoever is holding the communicator has it positioned at an odd angle, so the video captures clear blue skies, though the sound of the ocean can be heard with the occasional tropical bird cawing somewhere in the distance. The camera jolts without warning, dipping low enough to capture what appears to be a boat deck.

Off camera, Karen’s voice can be heard snappishly saying: ]

Are you still trying to take a selfie? Could you put that down for one second?

[ The camera jerks again, capturing an image of a chest that might be familiar to those of you who own the Booster Gold Mancalendar™ (you’re welcome). ]

Is it sooo wrong that I want to document this?

I guess we can document the part where I throw you off the boat.

You wouldn’t. There’s jellyfish in there! Probably. And besides, you never said there was a rule against selfies. It’s an American tradition.

Just try me, and Jesus, would you focus on steering the boat? [ Something splashes up beside the boat, seizing Karen’s attention for a moment. She groans loudly. ] We’re getting too close to those things.

Those things are Hawaiian squeaking sharks, and they’re our friends. Say cheese, guys!

[ The camera’s focus wobbles down off the side of the boat, zooming in on a group of splashing, smiling bottlenose dolphins, which are indeed getting very close. And then: a thump. ]

... oh, God. What was that?

Uh… maybe start guessing what it wasn’t and we’ll narrow it down…

[ The clicks and whistles of dolphins grow louder. If you happen to speak dolphin (or even if you don’t), they sound… pretty pissed. ]

MICHAEL.

WHAT? It was an accident!

[ The camera jerks again, horror movie shaky-cam style, as more dorsal fins rise from the water. Did you know dolphin pods can get really, really huge? Well, now you do. ]

Crap. Does anyone know how to say sorry in dolphin?


( ooc: red is karen and blue is booster! replies from karen will have the ID read as “karen starr”. booster's reads “booster gold,” but who cares. no dolphins were harmed in the making of this post. )

Comments

[liverletdie]

Maybe not.

I don't know, but...

Her and I have always been a little personal. I can't imagine her just giving anything up, or giving us up. I haven't discounted the possibility, but...

I just can't imagine her giving us away either.

[boobwindow]

She could be here somewhere... just not in the Porter.

[liverletdie]

At the very least she's somewhere.

I just don't want to discount the possibility she's still there, just...dormant. She...possessed one of my suits, originally, you know. Nobody knew she was around before she blew him up.

[boobwindow]

What's the story behind that? I've heard a little about it. Sounds like it happened a long, long time ago.

[liverletdie]

It was. Back closer to when I first arrived. Apparently what had been brought in was...an old suit of mine that had achieved sentience. Whether it had been ported in like everyone else or not, I don't know, but once I showed up, it became...inconvenient, I suppose.

[ A pause. ] It was attached.

So Lachesis destroyed it, and took over, blew it up in midair. I knew something was wrong, it... it had been glitching, and -- Well, I should have done more for it.

[ The same suit that you know. Trapped him on a deserted island, and tried to replace him, but it's ok because it ripped out it's heart to save him. ]

[boobwindow]

That's... pretty creepy.

[ At the very least it didn't go Terminator on anyone. ]

You never found out why it was one of your suits?

[liverletdie]

Not really. She never spilled.

I wondered if he'd been ported in like the rest of us.

[boobwindow]

I suppose nothing like that ever happened again either?

[liverletdie]

Never. Once he was gone, he was...gone.

I had his pieces, for a while, but that was more to protect the integrity of my tech. [ Than...you know. Any sentimentality. Of course. ]

[boobwindow]

I wonder why Lachesis singled your suit out. She could have had any, I'm guessing.

[liverletdie]

Well, it was a very well designed suit.

And it had achieved sentience, but it was still... a pawn of other AI. So maybe it was that it had the right capabilities coupled with the right vulnerabilities.

[boobwindow]

We're talking a cosmic being that could have used any body she wanted.

[ Is that flattering? If it didn't result in the destruction of the suit... maybe. ]

I guess there are some things we'll never know.

[liverletdie]

Well back then I don't...

Ah, hell, it's complicated.

Maybe that was the first one she found, I wish I could tell you the answer, but... Lachesis was always secretive.

[boobwindow]

If there's anything I've learned in life, it's that some things are better left untouched.

[ It might be a fruitless endeavor or worse, they could tick Lachesis off if they sought her. ]

[liverletdie]

Yeah, exactly.

I'm biding my time right now. As bad as it sounds, but... I don't want to draw her ire, or figure out a way to make her slam herself out of hiding.

If she shows up, she's going to do it in her own time.

[boobwindow]

Think it'll be good or bad if she does?

[liverletdie]

Bad. It always is, when it comes to her.