week 9 - sunday

[refactor]

[ So after the trial, Jack will briefly approach Luke, Elizabeth, and Jason and ask all of them to come stop by his room in an hour. Luckily, if it helps them feel more secure about coming to chill with the resident (public) murderer, he does tell them about the other invitees. What does Jack want to talk about, though? He says it's "something you'll want to hear," which is pretty ominous sounding, admittedly.

Though of course, when they show up, Jack is sitting at his desk with his feet perched up on the desk leisurely. He smiles, pleased, and nods to them. ]

Aaaand here we are. Thanks for stopping by, kiddos, [ And to Jason: ] sugartits. You want something to drink? You might want it, 'cause I've got a doozy of a story to spin for all of you.

Comments

[baptizer]

Souvlaki - ...that's.. that's what I was...?

[ One of the creatures on this ship - the ones that violated her very core and used her as some sick puppet... Souvlaki rolls onto her tongue like poison. Anyone can see Elizabeth tense up and her face grow white. She's feeling a bit emotional - far more than you'd expect for someone who was cracking jokes more often now and handling things fairly well. ]

I don't care what they are - I want them destroyed. I want them gone! They need to fucking suffer.

[ GOD, GIRLS ARE HORRIBLE WITH EMOTIONS. She's clenching her teeth, trying to not focus on the digital aspects and AI - that's not her territory. Unfortunately, the Souvlaki are. ]

Use me as bait to lure them out - I don't care - just - we have to get them. If they want more of us, I'll volunteer.

[ Childish, but she's fueled on emotion. A glance to Jason was firm, but when Jack begins to go on and talk about hunting Elizabeth immediately shoots up and is mid-way to Jack with a fucking panicked expression. What happened last time someone shared a role? ]

Jack - don't!

[ Nope, too late. She freezes, looking utterly mortified. ]

[antagonize]

Souvlaki. Skewered meat. [He's touching his eyepatch for a second, just. Chuckling.] A Greek word. Goes well with everything else in this place. The name of the ship. The statue of Aquarius downstairs. They're following a theme.

[It's obvious he's surprised when Jack reveals his role. His eyes are widening, eyebrows rising, and then— Well. Even after Elizabeth's outburst, he's forcing his expression to return to something neutral. Maybe something even a tad grim, now that he's been asked to decapitate Luke if it turns out he's hosting one of the aliens. He doesn't reply verbally, not really, but... He doesn't object.

Sorry, Luke.

He scrolls through the information once the datapad is passed to him, huffing out a laugh as he gets to the end. It's hard to tell if it's out of disbelief or something else.]

So you're Jack, the Souvlaki Slayer. [There's a pop culture joke here.] Can't say it rolls off the tongue very easily. But if this information is legit, that makes you the highest-ranking member of the ship. Cute. Should I congratulate you? It feels like we should get a bottle of champagne in here. Or some red wine, to match this access denied.

[He's joking. This is awful. Why is Jack the highest ranking member of the ship? There's no way that was decided democratically. However—]

If what Luke says is true, and we're missing a hell of a lot of memories for some reason... That implies we're not captives. We're here out of our own free will. Voluntarily, as members of the Pygmalion's crew. What in the world would cause us to forget something like that? [Also:] Not to mention, if this admiral is relaying messages through our dead guys? That means they're dead, as well.

[chiseler]

[First of all, yes, it’s a really stupid name. It’s an absolutely stupid name and nobody else had appreciated how stupid it was. But onto more important things, he can’t help but stare for a moment because several things are happening all at once and it sort of makes his head spin.

And speaking of head, a hand comes up to his neck subconsciously like he’s trying to protect it. Despite everything, Luke’s not exactly ready to die just yet. Let’s not cut off his head? Regardless he’s following suit and he looks at the datapad after Jason’s done, reading the information as everything settles in.

If Jack knew about the aliens the whole time…and Elizabeth and Rhys were hosting aliens, people that Jack was—well, maybe “close to” is too much of a stretch but he had relations with, what did that mean for the rest of them?

Elizabeth’s outburst is met with a muted sort of quiet. Perhaps unsurprising to her, there’s also a mildly sympathetic look. You never really are the same after a possession like that, but his sympathy quickly morphs into a snarl.]

We’re not using you as bait, Elizabeth. Besides, they won’t use the same host twice. We’d be expecting that. [But his eyes are sharp as he looks back and forth between Jack, Jack’s information, and Jason.]

I should’ve realized the pattern a lot sooner than I did, but I didn’t connect it until recently myself. Kinda been a little busy not getting killed. [Just sayin’. On the other hand, while he’s surprised by Jack’s role he’s not showing it. In a weird, somewhat appreciative way, he gets it. He has enough experience in knowing that it’s the unlikely subject that’s the hero of the story, and though that doesn’t excuse a lot of things, it makes sense on a basic level.] Here’s a question for you though. If Alice says she didn’t know about the Souvlaki, who told you?

[Hmmmm. He lets Jason have his snarky piece and Elizabeth has her outburst but he’s quietly thinking of the next move to make.]

That’s the funny thing about it. According to our dear admiral, she doesn’t know if she’s dead or not. How’s that one possible? I can buy that we were recruited a while ago for whatever reason. I can buy that we’re the last line of defense even if I don’t know why. But wouldn’t you know if you were or weren’t alive?

[refactor]

[ Jack's wild expression is surprisingly quick to soften in the face of Elizabeth's panic, or perhaps that's not surprising at all. To say that Jack had a soft spot for Elizabeth was something of an understatement, but they've both been trying to keep their continued-- Well, friendship absolutely wasn't the right word here. Alliance was the best thing to describe it, but even then, that didn't reflect the warmth that at least Jack shows to her. ]

Hey- Hey, it's- It's all right, Liz. I know what I'm doing here.

[ Since she's stood up to close that distance, Jack makes it the rest of the way. He reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder and give a gentle, reassuring squeeze, but that's it. Even though he's willing to be more open while he's laying his cards on the table, it's still not complete. He draws his hand back as Jason and Luke speak, then crosses his arms as he listens. Elizabeth's outburst at least seems to have calmed down that manic edge. If there's an impression that Elizabeth has done this before, that's completely true and fair. Everyone thank Elizabeth. ]

Something like that, yeah. At least trying, but they are goddamn good at hiding.

[ He nods to Luke ]

Got a datapad when we first got here, pretty much. Would have transcribed it in full, but only got to hear it once before it deleted itself. [ He shrugs ] I may be friggin' awesome, but-- Not enough to remember the message verbatim.

[ that Christy Character is in another castle ]

Told me that I was the highest ranking member, and that the ship was infected. I wasn't even supposed to let Alice know, but, well, she figured it out herself, so no harm done there. Probably. The way it sounded, seemed like she would have initiated some kind of quarantine or something drastic like killin all of us, but, I mean. Not yet, if that's her deal. Will say that I didn't know what they were called, though. Just "S"-something, but to be honest? Didn't care. Hell, I didn't even know there was a way to save the person infected, so I was just gonna kill anyone that I found.

[ He gestures generally here, but it's at least not quite as animated. He's calming down back to being cooler and more rational, which is definitely a better place for Jack to be. Of course, with those words, it does imply that Jack didn't know about Rhys being an alien, so it seems like he's just really lucky. ]

But that? Easier than you'd think, 'specially if my idea here is right. When I showed up in Rhys's brain, had no idea that I was dead. Didn't even know I was an AI. Just... [ He shrugs ] Objectively know that both are true now. That's the part that gets real weird to think about. So, I mean, personally? I can buy the confusion. That part is hard to actually put into words and explain, though. It's-- Not trusting your perception. Because I thought I was "real," but at least until this? Only existed as data. A hologram at best.

[baptizer]

[ Someone here needs to have emotion that isn't hate!! She feels sadness - a true sadness that Jack exposed his secret. After their long discussions of trust, she's fearful of what would happen if Luke was infected. How this puts a target on Jack.

...They needed Jack for the next chapter of this story and it makes her heart sink at that fear. Maybe after Adelina - she's a lot more reflective on what's at stake.

He grips onto her, and she instinctively tenses. Looking to Luke and Jason with a sadness that - well... doesn't quite fit the mood. Apologetic, fearful - had this really been that serious...? ItsAMystery.jpg

Her eyes soon drags up to look at Jack with a weak-willed smile, her corners just tugging up enough to look genuine and real. To feel real too. Masking the sadness away.

The talk about the Souvlaki is uncomfortable so she doesn't really speak, not until needed: ]

It doesn't matter what Alice's role is - she's forcing us to do this sick experiment. She's failing. The Souvlaki are smart - they've used me in ways that benefited them. [ Looking at Luke. ] I'm a reminder that one of theirs is dead and I'm unscathed. I think if we wanted to draw them out, that's a very valid avenue to explore.

[ To Jason and then Jack, after he mentions killing: ]

We'll need to confirm further. Whatever resources we can find - it is important to know that we're not chasing some wild goose to our doom. Jason almost lost more than an eye facing off against these things...

[ Says the motherhen of the ship now?? I guess?? BOYS stop being reckless. However, she does clarify: ]

This means we have to contend with people who succumb to the motives, the ship itself and - them.

[ She takes a few steps away from Jack, finally. Feeling completely overwhelmed. However, she does want to clarify: ]

Jack, if you're an AI - is your programming just... be like the "real" Jack...? Nothing else?

[antagonize]

[Elizabeth is the true hero of this story. She doesn't deserve having to deal with these idiot boys.]

I can buy not knowing you're dead. If you went to sleep one night, and woke up somewhere else... Would you think you bit the dust? Or would you assume something else happened? [Says one of the resident dead boys.] Not saying that our admiral died in her sleep. That would be way too peaceful for this whole shindig. Chances are, she got whacked out by one of the Souvlaki and didn't even notice.

[After tomorrow, this conversation will become hilarious in retrospect. But for now, this is all conjecture. He's turning to Elizabeth as she speaks, scoffing derisively when she suggests using herself as bait once again. Looks like he thinks that's the stupidest idea he's ever heard, even though it's... plausible. Not worth the risk, however.]

Yeah— How about no? If you were enough to draw them out, then you would have been dead weeks ago. But you aren't. They decided to take out Harold, who didn't know shit about all this, instead. So don't even try it.

[That said... Confirming further is a good idea. So he's adding more to that train of thought.]

There has to be a way to confirm who's infected and who's clean without shooting first and asking questions later. [Pun intended.] Maybe some sort of test. Or a scan. We have that big ol' machine downstairs, don't we?

[chiseler]

[For as much talk as he's made about how he'd know if he was infected, now he sort of wonders. He's 90% sure he's not? But it's still enough he's not entirely relaxed. This is a big deal. He watches with idle interest as Elizabeth breaks and Jack reacts, casting a glance at Jason in the meantime. It's interesting, he thinks, observing the three of them. Like other meetings, he's merely an observer in all of this. He doesn't know how to react to her look and so he follows her eyes to Jason, watching what she says.]

I agree with Jason, actually. They already used you, Elizabeth. Remember? "You took one of ours, we'll take one of yours" or however it went. Why pick someone out of nowhere for that if they really wanted to come after you? We're not using you as bait. End of discussion.

I'd say maybe nobody else would succumb, but that's just silly. [There's a short, annoyed sigh.] Anyway I can't buy not knowing you're dead. Sorry. I woke up and knew that hadn't changed even...if...I'm alive somehow. [Lets be candid about it ig] ...'Kay maybe it's not that easy. But if we can confirm what's going on in terms of being alive or real or aliens, I'm all for it. You really think the machine will work?

[refactor]

Honestly? If they weren't tough sons of bitches to kill, I'd just use myself as bait.

[ Jack shrugs casually, since in his view, he's already taken that risk here. Elizabeth he had certainty about, but Jason and Luke? He was taking a risk here, but he also feels it's calculated. He's not worried about Jason, but with Luke, that very well may be what he's doing, albeit it's absolutely not what he'd prefer. Having more people to work on this was absolutely better, and that's something that even someone as paranoid as Jack both knows and appreciates.

Though even so, that statement will probably sound odd to them. Jack has been far from heroic here on the ship, since even this revelation only adds a small bit of "heroism" here. He's egotistic and self-centered, so offering himself up as bait goes a bit against those expectations. ]

But, yeah, it's at least working looking into, now that we've got a— [ Jack pauses, then looks to Elizabeth and Jason as he laughs ] Ohohoh, man, look at us! We've got another clique! I'm so proud.

[ He still thinks it's funny how much team babysitter objected to that term, so he absolutely has to use it again. He does agree with the scanning idea here, but he also gets distracted with a dumb joke. Truly, he is a dad. A bad one. ]

[baptizer]

[ She'll totally cross her arms and just glare at Jason. He tries to keep her from getting involved and do good - but fires! explosions! No biggie, right? She'll push the issue later. Privately. Her vision snaps at Luke who is shockingly more firm. No teasing. Just a strong denial of her suggestion. It was interesting - it was very much like Hancock, she thinks. ]

We'll discuss it at a later point. I'm not throwing myself out for slaughter, you know.

[ She's not dismissing it!!

Oh my god, anything that weighed down when he talks about a clique and Elizabeth literally drags one hand down her face. There's a grit of her teeth as she sighs heavily. ]

We're not some barbershop quartet of alien slayers, Jack. We've never been a clique! Let's just focus on our task and see where that takes us, hm?

[antagonize]

Sure. Let's not call it slaughter. Let's just call it what it is: suicide.

[He went against one of the aliens. He almost got killed by one of the aliens, and the damn thing wasn't even at full strength. It was weakened, burdened by a body that was rotting and multiple injuries caused by Harold. Anyone who tries to use themselves as bait is just asking to be turned into a human meat skewer. That's all there is to it.

He's groaning at Jack's statement, sounding completely and utterly exasperated. Is Jack truly the oldest one in this room? No. No, he is not.]

Dude, no. How desperate for friends do you have to be to declare every group a clique?

[Stop? Stop this????? He's turning to Luke now, determined to ignore Jack.]

Honestly? I'll be godsmacked if it does. But it's worth a try. The thermal imager revealed something interesting about our bodies. Who's to say the scanner won't do the same?

[chiseler]

[Yeah he's not even going to do much but make a sound that's something agreement. Liz, take it from someone who had to end himself to make things right. IT'S REALLY NOT FUN!

However he doesn't get to say anything much about it seeing how Luke's also giving Jack a similar look of exasperation, but he doesn't protest. His expression should be enough and he chooses to focus on Jason instead.]

Gobsmacked. [He finds the phrase amusing, but he nods instead.] Exactly my point though. Not everything on this ship is completely busted. Let's pick a day to check it out, give us time to prepare or whatever.

[refactor]

[ As everyone (minus Luke, who is clearly the (second) coolest person here) denies his claims of a clique once again, Jack just laughs obnoxiously, but lightly. So, yes, mentally five years old. Sometimes he just likes annoying people for the sake of it, but at least this particular joke isn't accompanied with horrifying imagery, since that tends to be a Handsome Jack joke staple.

But, if nothing else, he does nod in agreement to the idea of scans. There's nothing else he needs to say to that part, but he does have something else to add: ]

One more thing, just to make sure I'm thorough here. Al is friggin' useless, though that's pretty obvious. When I started this shit, she didn't know I existed. Got my message straight from-- Well, the Captain, but no idea who she actually is, obviously. But Al didn't know about me, and she didn't know about the Soul-whatevers until after we got two for one.

[ He shrugs ]

She can't detect 'em, and that's where I-slash-we come in, apparently. Dunno if we can either, but weak AIs are dicks like that. [ jack you can't insult ai so casually when people know you're one too ] We put our asses on the line and use reasoning they don't have. And I'll be completely honest and transparent here: Alice lined me up a real sweet incentive if I take one of 'em out.

[ Jack smiles, not quite sly, but certainly vicious in that way that Jack seems almost naturally bloodthirsty. ]

Now, I'm telling you this because like it or not, we're kind of a team now, and I look out for my team. But also want to point out here, this has been true for a few weeks now, and I haven't so much as made an attempt. Kiiinda know I come off as unhinged. But I'm not going to screw myself over. So if we're reasonably sure that we find one? I'll kill them. One, because I'm a selfish bastard, but two, if we're wrong? Then it's my head on the chopping block. Because Alice made that real clear. Even if I kill one of them, I still go to trial. Just won't get executed if I'm right.

[ The smile fades, and he adds: ] ...That, and just in terms of statistics here? Good chance that someone is gonna have to kill a kid. Think you know especially, sugartits, but you can't hestitate with these things. Gonna be honest here and say I don't think many people are willing to do what's necessary, 'specially if that means putting a bullet in your friend.