Zero Divide: Episode #2 "Black Star"

[Vanifae]

Alan moves across the room to check out the flashing light and see if there is a map and/or medical reports nearby.

Alan stumbles his way over to the light, as he gets near several automated systems kick into effect. Lights overhead shimmer briefly before the room is awash with white nearly blinding light, although not bright it seems that your eyes are not used to the brightness they give off.

In the bright reality, the group can make out a total of twelve tubes the empty ones account for the newly awakened group, but the rest are filled, and although there seem to be medical displays on the front all of them look to be flat lining after there systems come on line. There are no names, the tubes are simply marked Subject 01 through Subject 12.

Dee was in the tube marked Subject 01, Ian was in the tube labeled Subject 04, Alan was in the tube marked Subject 05, Ashley was in the tube marked Subject 06, Haven was in Subject 08’s tube, Michael was in the tube marked Subject 10, Surge was in the tube marked Subject 11, and Facade was in Subject 12's tube. The other tubes have people in them but they seemed incomplete… in fact Subject 03 the one Ian is closest too currently has just a female torso and one right arm with a nub of a left arm, her face emaciated and contorted.

There is a central island with several workstations; well they look like workstations located on them. There is the door that Alan is standing closest too, and a door on the far left side of the room. Dust covers the monitors of the workstations.

 

[James Heard]

There is a central island with several workstations; well they look like workstations located on them. There is the door that Alan is standing closest too, and a door on the far left side of the room. Dust covers the monitors of the workstations.

Alan moves confidently over to the workstations and looks to power them up.

"Someone should probably watch the door in case someone shows up to put the genies back in the bottle," he says to no one in particular, already distracted by the rows of monitors that might contain secrets regarding their condition and whereabouts.

"We may or may not need to get to 'Tram B3', but in any case we need to find out where we are first. Does anyone see a crash cart or a supply bin somewhere? A helpful map?"

 

[Hammerhead]

Michael awakens, cursing, clambering off the ground onto his hands and knees, emptying his stomach of the vile fluid. "I really need to negotiate a better benefits package," he mutters, blinking his eyes to restore some clarity of vision.

He pulls himself to his feet, taking in his surroundings. At least I don't need to worry about clothes for the time being. In a way, it's too bad...I really wouldn't mind seeing the ladies naked. Chuckling, he calls out "Michael's here."

How could this be legal? If laws have any meaning at all, this should be illegal. Unless we we're all criminals or something. Prisoners of war. Or something. I'm damn sure we didn't sign up for this.

Cleaners are coming, Michael recalls, shuddering with the knowledge that he once held a similar position. "A cleaning team is coming," he reminds the others. We do not want them to catch us...unless our gifts are actually real?" Then we might have a chance, unless they're similarly equipped. Still, I'd rather not fight those guys at all.

With a deep breath, Michael tries to replicate what he could so easily accomplish back at the Estate.

 

[Victim]

Ashley hacks up a lung full of some sort of fluid after bursting from her prison pod. "I'm ... up," she gasps. After catching her breath, she stretches first, then attempts to use her power to move her pod. As the lights turn on, she'll look at some of the nearby tubes while continueing to check herself out. Laws are tools created to maintain the current social order; they don't impact on pure morals or ethics at all, even if they do introduce all manner of practical considerations. At least now we know that our captors are either powerful enough to shape the laws to their benefit or the resources to exploit them.

She'll start checking out each tube to see if its occupant seems viable. "Facade, Dee, give me a hand checking these. We need to hurry." While Ashley looks for other survivors, she tries to plan. "Alan, you want to check out those computers? Surge, help him, but look more at security than medical data. We probably don't have all the time we'd like to look at these, so Ian, why don't you strip out the storage devices of some of them. Then we should be able to look at them later. Michael, are you up for scouting? Haven, see if you can open up the floor or ceiling; give us some another dimension to move in."

 

[Avalon®]

Surge begins to cough out the fluid in lungs but it takes a few moments as his mind still swirls with the events that transpired in the simulator. Slowly rising to his feet,
he shakes his head to clear some of the cobwebs and proceeds to the workstations to help Alan. "Allow me Alan."

As he gains access to the keyboard, Surge begins to access the resident database. He tries several techniques to find what he needs from the system specifically anything related to the security systems.

Computers +9

 

[Vanifae]

As he gains access to the keyboard, Surge begins to access the resident database. He tries several techniques to find what he needs from the system specifically anything related to the security systems.

Computers +9

Surge rolls a 26 Computer check.

Surge is able to bypass the nominal security system with ease, and get into the actual user interface. The workstation responds and a terminal next to the workstation speaks, “Welcome to Vanguard Space Colonies Research and Development, the current day is June 6th, 2211 Earth standard time. Galactic Republic standard year is 4567 GC.”

A holographic display forms on the island of what appears to be a woman perhaps, “I am Virtual Intelligence M1 Research Assistant Version 2.4, VSC Hot Lab 8. Security lockdown in effect; error database corruption detected; error backup offsite database cannot be contacted, hard line disconnected; error main power unit offline, auxiliary power online.”

Michael is able to duplicate himself.

Dee helps Ashley, but currently none of the other subjects look alive or even responding to outside stimuli. In fact some don’t even look like complete human beings, they look unfinished…

 

[Shayuri]

Facade inspects the tanks near her and says, "No saving these. I don't think they're...done yet."

She sounds a little sick. Hard to say if it's from the experience of awakening, or from the sight of the bodies.

"I can't tell if these are dead people being preserved somehow, or if they were new human tissue being...grown. Whichever it is, it's a fair bet that we looked like them not too very long ago."

 

[Velmont]

Ian have been mute and was staring at this half human. "What are we? Are we just that? Some kind of creation in some experimentation. That would explain why we have meory loss. Or I should say, we never had memory. That virtual world was meant to educate us." He then looks around. "But where are the people who works here. I can,t believe they left us here without at leats a guard to watch over us."

 

[Avalon®]

Surge rolls a 26 Computer check.

Surge is able to bypass the nominal security system with ease, and get into the actual user interface. The workstation responds and a terminal next to the workstation speaks, “Welcome to Vanguard Space Colonies Research and Development, the current day is June 6th, 2211 Earth standard time. Galactic Republic standard year is 4567 GC.”

A holographic display forms on the island of what appears to be a woman perhaps, “I am Virtual Intelligence M1 Research Assistant Version 2.4, VSC Hot Lab 8. Security lockdown in effect; error database corruption detected; error backup offsite database cannot be contacted, hard line disconnected; error main power unit offline, auxiliary power online.”

"Security lockdown eh? Let's see what we can pull out of this. Access building blueprints and security camera feeds."

Computer +9 if needed

 

[Vanifae]

"Security lockdown eh? Let's see what we can pull out of this. Access building blueprints and security camera feeds."

Computer +9 if needed

Surge rolls an 11 Computer Check

Virtual Intelligence (VI) M1 Research Assistant responds to Surge, "I am sorry but that information you are trying to access is cleared for Vanguard Space Colonies executives only, is there anything else I may assist you with?"