ss_buttcrack: (shadow of despair)
John Crichton ([personal profile] ss_buttcrack) wrote in [community profile] come_sailaway2023-04-03 12:07 pm

April Open - Harvey Comes Out To Play

Who: Crichton + Harvey & Open!
What: After getting a package from Sundries, Crichton is acting a little strange. He's out late at night, acting off character for 'some reason' :]
When: First week of April before the event start.
Where: Various places around the ship
Warnings: Descriptions of gore & brain implants. Harvey is involuntarily taking over Crichton's body, he's also not against getting violent if necessary. Will warn in the headers for anything specific below.


They think I'm crazy but they don't know the feeling:
For some reason, after picking up these packages from the Sundries, he felt compelled to wait until he was alone to open them. He's found a secluded corner in the back of the library to do so now. Boy, is he glad that he is alone when opening the first box reveals a pallid mask identical in every way to the one John Doe on the ship routinely wears.

"Great, what are we forming some kind of fan club together?" he scoffs, setting it aside. Later, he might discover this mask has some special properties. If someone tries the thing on, they'll have quite a startling revelation--that Crichton isn't as alone as he seems.

The next box contains something even worse. Crichton gasps when he opens it. The chip. The neural chip (link is kinda gross, fyi) that Scorpius implanted in his brain. The chip that contained Harvey. How can it be here?!

His stomach roils and he has to close his eyes so he won't continue to stare sickly down at that tangle of wires and chunk of his own brain sitting there in that vial. But, once he's breathed through the first wave of nausea, and opens his eyes again, he's horrified to find the vial empty. What?! What?!

He grabs the empty vial from the box, shakes it like he's hoping the chip is just invisible somehow, hoping he will hear it rattle inside the tube. Nothing. It's gone. It's... gone?

Cold sweat soaks into his shirt as, from somewhere in the back of his mind, he hears horribly familiar laughter. Cold, wicked laughter.


I cannot stop this sickness taking over me
The timing of this could not be better. What luck! Arthur and Crichton are back to sleeping in separate beds--which means Arthur won't be as likely to notice if Crichton leaves his in the middle of the night. He started slow. Getting up and walking around the room, simply reacquainting himself with how a human body moves. This human's strength is so limited; it's frustrating. But, from here, he escalates to rifling through their things. Any time Arthur seems to stir, he mimics Crichton's voice, telling his roommate not to worry. Insomnia isn't really unusual for either of them, is it? No, of course not.

Now is the true test. He pulls on Crichton's clothes and slips out of the shared cabin. It's after midnight. He's purposefully avoiding running into anyone he--or, should he says Crichton?-- knows. His first destination is in the Library. He's snooping through the shelves, but there's nothing besides fiction on offer. It won't help him further his agenda. He does, however, know a few people who might be able to. That's going to be trickier.

He doesn't come home to the cabin that night. Instead, he goes to the buffet first thing. He has to quell these hunger pains if he wants to be able to concentrate. Humans... such pathetic creatures. He's doing his best to impersonate Crichton's nauseating friendliness. He has to wave and smile at anyone familiar while dreading if any of them come over for a longer chat. And so it will go for the next few days. He vaguely keeps up with Crichton's loose schedule, saying hello to anyone who comes by. But, at ever opportunity, he will attempt to cut the conversation short.

Except for conversations with one individual in particular...


[Closed to Ari]
He sends Lieutenant Tayrey a text with Crichton's phone:

I've been giving it some thought. I think wormholes might be the only way to escape. All of these memory cracks gave me an idea. Where can I meet you? It needs to be somewhere secure. Bring your textbooks.


I need your help, I can't fight this forever
Something's wrong. Every day, Crichton wakes up feeling more tired than when he went to bed. How long has it been? A week? Maybe? He feels so groggy, the days are running together. He's losing time. He has been ever since--

What? What was he thinking just now? Damn, he lost it. Frell. He's so tired. Maybe he should just go back to sleep for a little longer. No. No, he'd better not.

And yet, as the days wear on, he looks more and more like a zombie. There's no pep in his step, the dark circles under his eyes getting worse and worse, and he's doubled his caffeine intake. That alone should be worrying him. But, every time he thinks maybe he should call a doctor about it... he just doesn't. He'd hate to worry them over nothing. It's just stress. That's all. It will pass. He'll go back and take another nap. That will help. He'll be fine.

Everything is fine.
redlightgreenlight: (Unsure)

Can't fight this forever

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-03 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Despite his words and reassurances after she murdered him in her memory, Crichton has been avoiding her. Admittedly, she had been avoiding him first, but now he's not even really making it subtle. Fine. She can handle that. It had to have been traumatizing to die like that. But today, near the end of the first week, he looks terrible. Genuinely terrible. Bags under his eyes, a shake in his step. If the flu hadn't been gone, she would have thought he had caught it.

"You look horrible, Crichton." She says, holding out a coffee, "Like you haven't slept in a week."
redlightgreenlight: (Unsure)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-04 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Valdis frowns. Without asking for permission, she touches the back of her hand to his forehead. It's a little clammy, but not in an 'ill' way. She's surprised that he says he's been sleeping more, because he seems to be keeping his normal schedule, but, then again, she's been helping him avoid her.

"You don't seem to have a fever." She pulls her hand away, watching him with concern. "And you've been sleeping fine? No nightmares or sleepwalking?"

Sleep, but not restful sleep.
redlightgreenlight: (expressionless)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-04 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, this month has taken its toll on all of us in different ways. Almost everyone I care about has died at least once in these memories. I imagine between your death and the alterations to your memories that you are probably not sleeping as well as you were. You know, aside from the normal issues."

Still, he seems rather pleasant and not at all concerned about what happened. No sign of any of the possible reasons he would have for avoiding her. He actually seems to be happy that she is checking on him. Not...in the normal sense of 'happy', but it's the closest word she can think of.
redlightgreenlight: (Suuure)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-04 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
The guilt could be over literally anything, from altering memories himself, or avoiding her, or really others. He's been acting a little odd now that she thinks about it, but she avoided people for a bit too.

"No, not since..." Darcy's memory, but that had fixed the issue Shiranui created, so really, despite the eerie feeling of no longer being alone with herself, things had been relatively fine. "No, things are relatively normal now. And I haven't seen a rift in days."
redlightgreenlight: (small smile)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-05 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Nosy is an understatement. She tips her head, trying to figure out what is off aside from him being so exhausted. But nothing really comes to mind as different quite yet. Still, something is telling her to hold back.

"Oh, someone interfered with a memory and things were a little iffy for a little while. But it's fixed now."
redlightgreenlight: (Unsure)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-07 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"How did you mess up with Arthur?"

Valdis knows very little about Arthur aside from the fact he is blind and generally pleasant each time she's met him. He may not always be pleasant, but he didn't yell at her when Crichton died, so that's a few points in his favor.
redlightgreenlight: (Unsure)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-09 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"I didn't know he had a daughter." Not that she really knows much about him at all, "That must make being here really hard."
redlightgreenlight: (Unamused)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-10 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
A very long silence.

"Crichton," she says quietly, "Did you interfere with the memory of her death?"
redlightgreenlight: (not amused)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-11 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Another deep silence, and a look of sincere and very deadly disappointment fills her eyes.

"You just lied to an empath."

Arthur must be devastated to now have memories of a life with his daughter only to remember that those memories weren't real. Those things never happened. It was all a lie. And the one he loved most on this ship was directly responsible for his newfound pain.

"Did you even stop to think about how false memories of such a tragedy would make him feel? Or did you just want to play hero?"
redlightgreenlight: (glare)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-11 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"You humans never think about the consequences," she says in that same quiet tone,"But I'm not the one you need to apologize to."
redlightgreenlight: (Unamused)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-13 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
"Stuck in his patterns? You messed with his memories in the worst way. You think he should forgive you just like that, because you apologized a few times?"

Sickening.

"And you'd do it again? Maybe that's why he's still mad at you. Oh, Crichton, you absolute selfish fool."
redlightgreenlight: (mysterious)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-13 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
Quietly.

"Sit down, Crichton."
redlightgreenlight: (Over shoulder 2)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2023-04-13 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
"Because you are literally going to fall over after that adrenaline rush if you don't."

(no subject)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight - 2023-04-13 04:52 (UTC) - Expand