I never said that I want this, this burden came to me [Mon. of Week 7, prior to motive announcement]

[chiseler]

[If he was honest, he didn't sleep at all the night before. Between all of the events of the trial, making sure Adam was okay and also letting his own thoughts run around in circles it hadn't been good for anyone. And to think he thought he could finally get a decent night's rest after the trial.

Of course, the news about their new monster-alien friends living on the ship was mildly alarming. And by alarming we mean actually terrifying. It's something he's toyed with for weeks. It's why he started camping in vents, why he started trying to make a map himself, why he wondered what else was out there. It's only after a little thinking that he realizes that, perhaps, he should talk to Dave as well. Dave had been with him when they'd found Todd. It'd be good to hear his thoughts, too.

(And if he's honest, he wants to check on the kid, too.)

And so hunting down a Strider he goes and for once he manages to catch him without Roxy.]

Hey, Strider. [He gestures with his head for the boy to come closer. Backbiter's strapped to his back but sparring isn't on his mind today.] You got a few minutes?

Comments

[chiseler]

It's not that easy. [Uh.] ...I mean maybe it is, I don't really know how these aliens or whatever work, but usually when something like this is looking for a host the host has to be prepared a certain way. For all we know, those things were watching and prepping Elizabeth and Rhys for a while. They could hop hosts, but I don't know if it'd be right away.

[parodeity]

That'd be the best case scenario. I admit I am getting used to looking for the worst-case scenarios. [ a pause. ] Although murderous aliens on the loose are already a worse-case scenario? Though it'd be nice of the dude who was formerly Rhys carries through on that Alice threat 'cause hey, by all means take out the murder-happy AI, dude.

[ he knows that is hella unlikely. but as long as they have to deal with an alien in the vents he can at least sort of hope the apparent murder need it channeled productively? ]

But at least we know that's not part of...whatever the fuck this is. Alice did not seem pleased. So whatever prep took place, she didn't fuckin' know about it, I think?

[chiseler]

Man, my entire life's a worst-case scenario. Trust me, I get it. [He hums under his breath.] Remember when we tried to get into the cafeteria that day and Alice said she didn't know the door was locked? I thought it was kind of bullshit when she talked to us, but didn't she say the same thing when the others found Maria and Niles?

But then that introduces the question of how are they getting around and escaping her entirely so that she wouldn't know? They couldn't have been brought on board with us. A lot of us had things removed from us. You'd think a demonic alien would be on top of that list.

[parodeity]

I assume vents are part of it because.

[ GESTURES AT THE VENTS. WHERE RHYS IS JUST. CHILLING??? I GUESS???? fuck this week

But...I guess thinkin' about it, they had to have gotten on this trainwreck of a ship without her knowin'. The question is, do they even want to be here? Like. What even would the goal here be.

[chiseler]

Yeah uh. That'd be something. [WHO'S NEVER GOING IN THE VENTS AGAIN? THIS GUY!!! Probably.] It becomes a matter of who was here first, her or our alien friends. Also did you hear her when she showed up? Who's Harlan?

[parodeity]

Yeah, I caught that. As to who was here first...I gotta say Alice seems more likely, since this entire place seems to be under her control For. Whoever the fuck this asshole Harlan was.

[ seriously. can they find this dude and punch his face in? if it is a dude. harlan sounds like a dude's name? ]

I know some people with the last name but I kinda doubt she was referrin' to an American filmmaker.

[chiseler]

Why not? She keeps using literature to back all of our motives each week. Maybe it wouldn't be crazy to think she's using filmmakers now, too. [A beat.] But it seems unlikely. We were told from the beginning we were chosen for a specific reason for the Cradle Project even if it still doesn't make sense why us.

[Hm.] If the aliens came in after Alice was getting everything set up, that'd make sense. It's just a matter of them evading her for long enough and navigating the ship and...watching us? [Ugh that's creepy.] If we look at Elizabeth and Rhys they were people who...were pretty tied closely to Jack as of lately, but also were pretty broken people. For all we know, they're preying on vulnerabilities.

They possessed Elizabeth to go after Hancock probably because of the fact he was the one helping us out by giving us items. Which...I still think is weird. Does that mean he's been part of the project since the very beginning?

[parodeity]

From what Liz was saying, it sounds more like he didn't know how his role worked, right? I think it's more likely he was assigned it after getting here.

[ for...whatever reason. ]

The third party roles are built into the game, yeah? But whatever the fuck these alien demons are, they don't seem to be the third party roles the rules were referrin' to. So the Weirdling or what the fuck ever must be one of the third party roles Alice made up.

[ that makes sense, right? ]

There are way too many of us with vulnerabilities to make me like that angle. Shit.

[chiseler]

That only leads us to asking "why Hancock" and "who else." We don't know if Alice herself chose these roles or if this Harlan guy had all of the information selected already and she's just following his orders. How sentient can AIs really be?

[He slumps down in his seat a bit.] I'd say "let's make sure nobody's vulnerable" but doesn't help that two or three of us get pegged a week with that title. Maybe if Hancock was one third party giving us items to solve the case, there's somebody among us who has a third party role to give out the items used to kill vulnerable players. It all becomes a game of cross-examining everybody and I don't know if we have time for that. [A pause.] Our other option is to chase the thing in the vents though.