JUNE EVENT: CAMP

[sailmods]

early on June 10th, Friday's morning announcements end with a request for everyone going on the latest excursion to meet her in the atrium. she seems in noticeably better spirits than she had been last time, and she leads them cheerfully to the tender. once they are all aboard, and the door is securely shut, the interior fills with gas, and, perhaps, their last thought before they slip into unconsciousness is "oh shit, not again."

passengers wake up on a rickety old school bus, driving down a dirt road surrounded by woods. what is it that they notice first? that, no matter what they were wearing before, they are now wearing a camp t-shirt and legitimately horrifyingly short shorts? the overstuffed backpack between their knees? the words "take one down and pass it around" dying on their lips? the fact that Friday is absolutely driving the bus?

or, maybe the fact that it's already slowing down, pulling up in front of a massive wooden sign, saying:

 

 

 

 

 

CAMP AION

when they get out of the bus, Friday is the one to divide them up into their cabin groups, and she is the one to give the counselors their very official-looking clipboards and whistles. she explains that they are in charge, and that she will be back to pick them up in a week, and... very little else. she responds to nothing outside of whatever is on her unseen little script, and she gets back on the bus shortly after, leaving them there.

welcome to camp. let's make some summer memories!

Comments

[serialskiller]

“No. I ran away from them. I had things I needed to find out. About myself. That I’d never been free to look into before.”

And also, it was absolutely terrified of having people care about it, but like, it’s not going to admit that.

Though if it saw Mensah or her team again, after its time on the Serena Eterna...things would be different.

[justneedsomehelp]

"Yeah? You get a chance to find those things?"

In Marc's opinion, sometimes it's better to not look at all. It's better to not poke at that particular hornet's nest if there's a chance you might not like what you see. But then again, he's not exactly the picture of mental health, is he?

[serialskiller]

Murderbot purses its lips, hesitating for a moment. And then it nods just a bit.

"Yes. I learned what I needed to. I...can trust myself, better. I didn't remember because they purged my digital memory, but the organic brain still knew. I was right."

That might sound garbled and confused. But it hasn't decided if Marc ought to know about what happened at the Ganaka Pit. Though...though. On some level Murderbot thinks if anyone might understand, he stands a good chance.

[justneedsomehelp]

"You got-- other memories? In the, uh, organic brain?" This is a lot to think about. He's never talked with anyone actually-- synthetic? before. But it's interesting.

"Must be a relief though, knowing you were right about yourself." Not something Marc's ever gotten the pleasure of, usually.

[serialskiller]

"The same memories. It's just that a purge of the digital memories can't clear out what's stored in the human brain. Not completely. I'm not sure the company that created me realizes that, though. I'm not going to be the one to tell them--would you?"

It gives Marc a quiet, uncertain look--because it's not sure, what a human would do in its position.

[justneedsomehelp]

"Me? No way. Sounds like they want to be able to control and manipulate you. Make you do what they want, punish you when you don't... that's no way to live." Marc should know. He's lived that way practically every day of his life and he knows... it's not healthy. He also knows it's a hard cycle to break out of.

[serialskiller]

"Yeah, well. It's all I've ever known for most of my existence. So maybe I'm not living, if its not a way to live." It curls around itself even tighter, more defensive. Marc's right, he clearly understands. But Murderbot simply doesn't know how to reach out and connect properly.

[justneedsomehelp]

"... Yeah, well. Steven would say it's never too late to start." Does Marc believe that? He's-- not sure. He's not sure he even wants to try if he's honest. But he's here now, and free of the one guy who was controlling him, and needed by Steven. So he's kinda got to try, right?

"You don't sound like you'd want things to go back to the way they were either."

[serialskiller]

"Since when does what I want matter? Here, we're just tools of a different kind. Or toys, maybe." Its brow furrows. "What does Steven know about these things, anyway?"

[justneedsomehelp]

"Yeah, well... I can't argue that. But I've been one of those most my life. Either you-- accept it or you decide it's enough, and I'm not sure it matters either way here." Not when they don't have the power. They can't leave. They can't save themselves, not yet.

"Our-- story's kinda complicated. But he's seen me at my worst and hasn't given up on me yet. I guess he knows a thing or two."