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

[prodigalmess]

"Sorry," he replies. Admittedly, his knowledge of robots is kind of limited. "That's my point though. Here you don't have to hide. I imagine it doesn't make the idea of going home too appealing."

Malcolm's sure that Rin isn't the only one who feels that way too.

[serialskiller]

"Staying here isn't very appealing, either. We're still toys for the Captain, and he gets his kicks torturing us. But yeah, I'd rather not end up in the custody of the company that made me ever again. If I had a choice in the matter."

Which it doesn't really feel like it does.

[prodigalmess]

"So it's more like being caught between a rock and a hard place," Malcolm observes. "Or, the lesser of two evils."

He stands up and grabs his Glock. It's time for a perimeter check again. Malcolm shines the flashlight towards Rin as he moves down the steps of the cabin.

"Do you feel that there is still more freedom here than there was at home?"

[serialskiller]

"There's a stronger illusion of freedom. Which makes the moments where the noose tightens worse, I think." Murderbot moves to walk with Malcolm, because he shouldn't patrol alone. "Back home, as long as I was able to pretend well enough, I could get by faking it. I knew what was coming and was used to coping with it."

[prodigalmess]

Malcolm can't help but smile at that comment. "Getting by by faking it is an art form," he says. "I had to fake being okay a lot of the time." Granted, he fakes being okay here too. Honestly, it sort of works? He hasn't had a mental break down yet.

The beam of his flashlight shines in bright strips along the grass and into ever corner outside the cabin as they walk. If there's anything at all, he will catch it.