Mysterious Circumstances (pm to discuss joining)

[Othermoose]

"Alright, but I don't know how well I'll be able to swim. My leg still hurts pretty bad." Austin said into his intercom as he pulled on his scuba gear. He limped out into the water, the carfully lowered himself in. He winched in pain at every stroke he made, his leg burning in protest.

As Austin made his slow progress towards Kate the mermaid looked up at him. She shot forward, moving at amazing speeds. She swam to his side and gently guided him to Kate. "Um, thanks." Austin said to the mermaid. She replied with a wide smile and a few bloops, seeminly unconcerned that Austin was staring directly at her breasts. After a moment Austin realized what he was doing, and turned quickly towards Kate. "So how does your arm thing work?" He asked before glancing back at the mermaid, losing his battle against staring at the mermaid's chest.

"Looks like you've got some completion." Erik joked to April as the swam towards Kate, Austin, and they mermaid.

 

[slippedhalo]

April hid her flash of jealousy with a joke, "Mine are better. Symmetry beats size." She was pleased at how hard that made Erik laugh. She'd also forgotten the open com link. His wasn't the only chuckle she heard. Oh well! Nat was laughing her ass off.

"I'll vouch. I've seen them. Quite nice!" Chimed Natalia.

"Focus, people!" Kate ordered.
Kate held out her bared arm to Austin, showing him how to use the functions of the computer he'd need. She then focused on treading water as he worked, trying to ignore how much his fingers tickled on her skin there.

 

[Othermoose]

Austin switched his comm so it only went to April. "Don't worry, I know yours are better. But you have to admit hers are nice too." He said jokingly, but secretly hoping April would agree and continue to chat about the beautiful mermaid. Austin couldn't help his fascination with the mermaid, she was amazing. He imagined April's lips on the mermaids as he watched them, slowly he'd...

"Focus!" He thought to himself angrily, as he played with the controls on Kate's arm. After a a few moments of fiddling with the controls he turned to the mermaid. "Say something." He said to her. She looked at him and gave a questioning bloop. Austin played with the with the controls more before patting his chest. "Austin." The mermaid copied his movements like she had before and said: "Aaaaaaaadddddddddrrrrrrrrrrrrrr *bloop* nnn *bloop*" she replied.

Austin gave a quiet curse, pressing buttons on Kate's arm, before trying again. "What's your name?" He said, but to everyone else it sounded like bloops and singing. "Adriana." She replied happily, in a musical voice that everyone could understand.

Adriana looked at Kate with a wide smile realizing they could understand her now. "Who are you people? And why do you have those weird things where your tails should be?" She asked gently poking Kate's legs.

 

[slippedhalo]

Kate grinned. "Adriana, pleased to meet you. Well, we don't live in water. We live on land so we use these, legs, we use legs to move up on land. We're here to find the last item on our map...I think it may be the sphere Erik found down below." Kate explained. As she talked Austin was adjusting things to ease the communication and improve the timing of it. He was an impressive talent at this.

 

[Othermoose]

Adriana smiled and continued to probe at Kate's legs. "That's fascinating!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I've looked at the land before, it looks scary, but exciting too." She said. "I can help you guys get the orb if you let me look at your legs more. After that..." Adriana was distracted as Erik and April swam over to the group. Adriana swam over and began excitedly feeling April's legs, her hands exploring April's thighs dangerously close to her crotch. "These things are amazing!" Adriana said happily, squeezing April's thighs, seeming to have forgotten about the conversation she was having with Kate.

 

[slippedhalo]

April winced, laughing, then inched slightly away, squirming out of Adrianna's grasp. "Uh, that is a little uncomfortable, Adrianna. Our people like to leave space between our bodies and other people's bodies unless there's very specific exceptions. I'd appreciate a little space, please. I promise to let you see my legs after we get the sphere, ok?"

Kate noted April's penchant for seeking diplomacy while maintaining humanity. This would be a fine leadership quality. Her bravery and optimistic energy were pluses as well. She was proud of how they were handling these tests so far.

 

[Othermoose]

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, I had no idea!" Adrianna exclaimed pulling April into a tight hug, the mermaid's large breats squashing against April's chest. After a second Adrianna gave a small squeak and quickly moved away from April. "Sorry I hugged you, I forgot you people don't like to be touched. It was never a problem with my people..." He voice took on a sad note. "I'm the last of my people. The... The great beast killed them all." She said giving a small sob. She went forward to hug April again, but stopped herself with a quietly muttered apology.

 

[slippedhalo]

April initiated the hug this time. "I'm so sorry about your people, Adrianna. You're the last of your kind?"

Adrianna nodded, "I think I am."

Natalia said, "If you help us we'll find a way to let you stay with us, if you want. The park near where we live has a lake...or we could build an aquarium in the dining room...if you're not a hologram, and if you'd like to try life outside the ocean, that could be a way."

 

[slippedhalo]

In the meantime, Rapid Education was going off without a hitch.

Yuet was intensively immersed in an accelerated virtual world of medical school. The MeRP strategy didn't even allow the student time for lunch, intravenous fluids hooked up yo their veins too care of that.

Aziz struggled initially only due to an allergy to the neurotransmitter but an injection of analgesic mixed with antihistamine seemed to help. He'd probably need a very long nap by the end of it, though.

David's education experience was without incident. He was enjoying the virtual exercises more than the information being fed into his mind but both were moving at the expected rate and he was near to completion.

The rapid learners would be fully educated and well trained in time for dinner.

 

[Othermoose]

Adrianna hugged April tightly, enjoying being held by someone again, after so long alone. She clung to April until Natalia spoke. "Really!? You'd let me live with you? I'd love that! We could swim all day long and talk and play, and maybe I could go on land!" She exclaimed excitedly before swimming over and hugging Natalia. "I'm real by the way. Or at least I think I am. I have memories and feelings and stuff." She said, her arms still wrapped tightly around Natalia.

 

[slippedhalo]

Kate nodded placatingly, "Adriana, how can we get that sphere? We can't do anything else until we have it."

 

[Othermoose]

"I can get it for you!" Adrianna said excitedly letting go of Natalia. As Adrianna swam towards the sphere a low loud shrieking cry echoed through the water. Adrianna grew tense, her face pale with terror. "Oh no..." Adrianna said her voice trembling with fear. "It's the great beast! It's going to kill us all!" She said swimming frantically around the group. "We have to get out of here! Swim away! Hide! I know a good spot..." Adrianna stopped speaking as a large shadow swept over the group.

The group all turned to see a giant creature swimming towards them, moving like a bullet through the water. The creature was shaped like a long thin football, with six oar shaped fins on each side of its body, as well as a large dorsal fin that ran along its back. The creature opened its mouth and issued another shriek, its gaping maw revealing several rows of foot long teeth.

"Fuck me! That thing's as big as a bus! These spear guns won't do shit against that fucking leviathan!" Erik cursed looking to Kate. "What the fuck do we do here?" He asked, his voice tight with horror at the huge monster rushing towards them.

 

[slippedhalo]

Natalia and April both discharged their spear guns at the beast. This slowed it, caused a deafening shriek of pain, but it still came forward.

Kate simply shook her head, "I'm supposed to be observing, remember? I can't solve the problems here today or I'll cause you all to fail. We can't have that. I think they're perfectly willing to use some of the frozen humans as replacements...I don't want to lose any of you guys."

Adrianna rushed past the wounded beast, fighting her fear in order to help these people, her only chance at a new community. It had been so lonely..."I've almost got it! Just hold it back another minute!" She sang, as she dislodged the orb with deft hands and worked it out of some sea algae with her teeth.

April and Natalia were joined by Kate this time in shooting at the beast to distract it.
Nobody expected it to rush at Kate, tossing her high into the air...She beached hard, hitting the sand with a thud so loud even under the water it was obvious something was definitely not right.

"Shit!" Screamed Natalia, swimming ashore to check on Kate, "Guys, she's unconscious, her head is bleeding. I think she's...oh God, ok, she's breathing but it's very uneven. I think her arm is smashed up bad too. It's bent at the wrong angle...She needs a MeRP soon. Get everybody out!"

Adrianna handed Erik the sphere, "Go take care of your leader. I'll hide until that beast goes away." She said.

April felt torn. She wanted to get Kate help. But, she was afraid of what that beast might do to Adrianna if they left her behind for too long. She said this and Natalia brought up another point which explained the night's withholding of Erik and Nat.

"We can't let Kate die. That would be two lives on our hands."

 

[Othermoose]

Erik accepted the sphere from Adrinna and began swimming to the surface as fast as he could. He watched as Adrinna swam down to the sea floor, moving at speeds Erik didn't think were possible, and disappearing into a small crevice in a rock formation.

Erik kept swimming upwards, but the large orb he was carrying was slowing his speed. He saw the creature take a sharp turn and began swimming for him. "Fuck guys! This things going to get me! I'm not going to make it!" Erik shouted in terror. Just as the creature opened its huge mouth to devour the blonde man; a harpoon shot through the water and embedded itself into the creature's tongue. The creature screamed in agony and dove downwards, a cloud of black blood flowing out behind it, as it fleed from whatever had caused it so much pain.

=============================================================

Austin watched in hopeless terror as the creature surged through the water, and attacked Kate. Austin could almost hear his heart shatter at Natalia's frantic report on Kate's condition. "She's going to die. Her and her baby." Austin thought his eyes filling with tears at the thought of Kate's demise.

Austin was still angry that Kate had chosen David over him, angry that she was carrying David's child. He hated David, and any extension of him. He hated Kate for loving David. Austin knew it was dumb to be jealous, he knew that if not for Kate's rejection, his happiness and love with April wouldn't exist. But now, knowing that Kate was so injured, these feelings abruptly left Austin. It was stupid for him to be jealous. He hated himself for being so selfish, spiting Kate's happiness even though she'd done nothing but show him kindness. Austin had to ask her forgiveness. He had to throw himself at her feet and tell her what a greedy ass he'd been, thank her for turning him away so he could find April. "She can't die." Austin thought, his eyes blurring with tears.

As Austin's revelation occurred he saw Erik swimming towards the surface, the large orb cradled in his arms. Austin watched as the large man struggled, moving sluggishly through the water. Then the creature appeared in Austin's view, its gigantic mouth opening wide as it prepared to tear Erik apart.

It seemed like time slowed down. Austin reached for his spear gun and aimed it at the creature. He knew the shot was nearly impossible, and that he'd more likely skewer Erik than hit the leviathan, but at this point, anything was better than nothing. "This is for Kate." Austin thought as he pulled the trigger. He watched as his harpoon fired from the gun, moving fast even in slow motion. Austin watched his spear cut through the water; he watched it fly within inches of Erik before impaling the beast's tongue.

Time returned to normal as the beast shrieked in pain and swam away, but Austin had already forgotten the beast as swam for the surface. He climed out of the water and ran towards the beach, the pain is his leg forgotten, even as blood ran down his leg from the reopened wound. He saw Kate lying in the sand, her body contorted into an odd position, like a doll that had been tossed onto the ground.

Austin ran towards Kate pulling the mask from his face. He ignored the rest of the world as he fell to his knees at her side, tears falling freely from his face. "Kate? Kate!? Please hear me! You can't die! Please don't die!" Austin sobbed next to the woman.

 

[slippedhalo]

Erik crawled out of the water, rolling the sphere along beside him in the sand. It seemed to grow even larger outside of the water. It was now taller than he was!

April looked at the pink ball and tried to find an opening or something of significance on its initially uniform appearance. "A hand print?" She asked, seeing the shape of a five fingered hand. Without hesitation, she handed off her first aid kit to Natalia and Austin who worked to stop Kate's bleeding head and she put her right hand on the hand print. It glowed purple, then opened up like a silly putty egg. Once opened, it went clear as glass.

Inside was a green box with the name: Kathryn embossed gold lettering on the locked clasp which appeared to have a fingerprint checker attached to it. "It's for Kate. Only she can open this box." Said April, looking over her shoulder sadly.

Inside the ball itself were instructions.
1: Fill me with sea water
2: Place the sea woman inside
3: Close me (I will open on her command)
4: She can use me as out of water transport

April read this aloud and Erik reread it to be sure. "Like a hamster ball but for a mermaid." April reasoned. "Erik, can you take this into the water and get Adriana to use it? Then, we could get her out of here now and take Kate to safety. It's time to go back to the real world. Med Bay for all of us."

 

[Othermoose]

Erik nodded as he began to drag to sphere towards the water. He looked at April before nodding towards Austin. "Maybe you should pull him back a bit, let Natalia do her thing?" Erik suggested softly to April. He didn't wait for a response as he pushed the ball into the water watching it fill up and slowly sink towards the bottom.

Erik left the sphere alone as it made is leisurely descent, as he swam towards the crevice Adrianna was hiding in. Once he found it he called out softly to her. "Adrianna? We've got a way to get you to the surface. Come with me." "Is the beast gone?" Was her terrified reply. "For now, but it might come back so come on."

After a few moments of hesitation Adrianna peeked her head out of the crevice. After looking around she decided she was safe enough and followed Erik to her slowly descending transport ball. "Help me carry it to the surface. Once we get close you get in and I'll roll you onto the shore. You'll be able to stay in here until you get to the ship." She nodded and helped Erik push her transport to the surface. Once they reached the cliff that led to the beach, Adrianna swam into her ball and Erik sealed it.

After a few tries Erik managed to push the orb onto land. After a few moments hesitation Adrianna swam forward, and was delighted to discover the ball rolled forward with her. "Wow! This is amazing! The surface is so strange." Adrianna exclaimed as she took in her new surroundings. After a moment she saw Kate on the ground as she was tended by Natalia. "Oh no! I didn't want any of you to get hurt! Will she be ok? Can I help at all?" Adrianna asked in concern as she rolled over to Natalia.

 

[slippedhalo]

April and Natalia worked on Kate. But, they realized she really needed a MeRP or Yuet, someone better trained than them.

April made an executive decision. Packing up their findings, she began barking orders. "Austin, Adrianna, Erik, you stay with Kate and keep her safe and alive. Nat, you're most able bodied. You come with me to starting point with the artifacts we've gathered. We know roughly where the door to this holographic room should be. We'll bust it down if they won't open it for us, and we'll drag the MeRP' s to the beach with stretchers. Got it?"

Natalia stood beside April and nodded, "Who put you in charge, by the way?" She teased.

April stayed deadpan as she replied, "I did. And, because you know what's best for you, you'll all listen and follow orders."

To her surprise, she heard a chorus of, "Yes, Ma'am!" As she and Natalia set off to find the door.

.....................

 

[Othermoose]

Erik watched as April and Natalia left to find their way back to the ship. As they disappeared from view worry began to weigh in the pit of Erik's stomach. They were both strong women, but they were in a very dangerous place. "I should've gone." Erik said to himself. He turned back to survey his group. Austin was sitting next to Kate, his knees held to his chest as he stared at her unconscious form. He turned and watch Adrianna chase a seagull around the beach, her attention completely focused on the bird. "Guess I'm on my own until they get back." Erik thought walking around picking up pieces of wood, for a fire.

 

[slippedhalo]

They had a map and determination. Now more familiar with the illusion of the island, the two women were fast. April never ran so fast in all her life. She was scared for those she'd had to leave behind but exhilarated by the whole experience. This was life as she'd wished it could be when her body had been racked with cancer: running, jumping, climbing, swimming...most of all, helping others, this is the life she wanted but never knew she'd want!

Nat was healthy and long limbed. She kept up with April easily. As a group, mixed with wounded, it had taken hours to cross the forested island. Running frantically, the two women got to the door within under forty minutes and the door was there and open!

MeRPs entered the "forest" as the pair caught their breath, unable to explain themselves until they'd had air in their lungs and slowed their hearts.

"End simulation." Ordered a MeRP as three others moved forward with hover stretchers between them. The forest around them and blue sky faded to black. The room was black other than a huge, sand lined, aquarium and fake beach, with a dead creature lying at the bottom of it. They ran to meet the others.

Erik stood looking confused, the wood in his hands had vanished like the rest of the holograms. MeRPs appeared beside Kate's body, lifting her carefully onto one of the stretchers, providing the aid she so desperately needed as they pushed the hover stretcher out to Med Lab. Austin and Eric were also hovering away on stretchers soon.

April smiled and hugged Natalia, then they helped the mermaid ball to roll onto the real parts of ship she'd never seen before.

Once in Med Lab with the others, April tapped her ear and called David, "David, it's April, when you and the others are finished learning, please meet us in Med Lab."

 

[Othermoose]

Adrianna watched, as he whole life disappeared in a flash. One second she was on a beach trying desperately to understand Erik as he explained something called "fire" the next she was in a huge room filled with sand. "What just happened!? Where did everything go!? Where did my home go!?" Adrianna screamed hysterically as she swam frantically around in her ball, causing it to haphazardly roll around the room. "Where are my people!? Did you people kill us all!? Were they even real!? Am I real!?" She screamed at the celling of the huge room.

Adrianna ignored all attempts to soothe her as she continued her rant. After several minutes of being inconsolable, Adrianna finally grew tired, slowing sinking to the bottom of her ball, as she held herself and sobbed.

 

[slippedhalo]

April shook her head, she turned to Nat with pleading eyes, "Please deal with her. I'm kind of stretched thin at the moment!" was the silent plea in her eyes as they met with Nat' s.

Natalia got the message and ardently rubbed the outside of the ball as she cooed, "Darling Adrianna, please don't be sad. I'm sure the MeRPs or androids can explain." She looked to one which didn't appear busy, "Right? Explain how she got here and why you kept her in an illusion." Her voice was edged with steel. She wasn't in a trifling mood.

 

[Othermoose]

OOC: it will be easier to rewrite this than to edit it

 

[Othermoose]

Austin ground his teeth as he watched the MeRPs operate on Kate. He barely noticed the MeRP sewing his leg wound closed, or the hysterical screams of the mermaid behind him. He heard a MeRP say something about extinction, but he didn't care. Kate was hurt, maybe dead. "They can cure death, she'll be alright." Austin thought to himself even as he imagined Kate's funeral. He April's presence as she walked over and stood next to him. Austin reached out for April's hand, gripping it tightly as he stared at Kate. "She'll be ok right? She's not going to..." Austin felt his throat tense couldn't finish the sentence. He just held onto April's hand, clinging to her like a lifeline.

=============================================================

David slowly opened his eyes as his rapid training season ended. "It is reckomeded that you remain seated for the next one to two hours while your neural processes adjust to the new information." Said a computerized voice from above him. His head was pounding like a hammer had been smashed through his skull. David groaned before leaning over the side of his chair and throwing up on the floor. He returned to his seat closing his eyes so that his mind would recover.

David woke up at the sound of April's voice in his ear. He looked around, still disoriented, for a sign of the woman, before he realized she had been speaking through a comm. "med bay. Kate." David mumbled as he unsteadily got up from his seat. He drunkenly stumbled towards the door, throwing up on the floor again as he made his way there. After several attempts David opened the door. He shambled out into the hallway, leainng heavily on the wall as he made his slow progress towards the med bay.

As David trudged forward the hallway began to flicker, changing from from cold grey metal to soft maroon carpets and wood faded wallpaper. This place was sad... Why was it sad? David didn't know as he continued forward through the hall way that was flickering in and out of reality. David couldn't remember why he was moving forward, but he knew it was important. Very important.

As David walked through the metal hallway he stumbled and fell. He looked down at himself, noticing for the first time he was in a paper gown. His vision flickered again and he was wearing a black suit and tie. He stood back up in the maroon hallway, and kept going.

David's eyes flickered again as he reached his goal, a simple wooden door changing to one of cold metal. He opened the door to reveal the med bay. His eyes were drawn to the end of the room, where he saw Kate, her eyes closed and face caked with blood. His vision changed again and another woman took Kate's place. "Stacey" David whispered, stumbling towards her casket. He realized why the maroon carpet made him so sad. It was the funeral home. "I'm sorry Stacey." David slurred before falling forward, the maroon carpet rushing to meet him before slipping to black.

 

[slippedhalo]

April squeezed Austin's hand. She knew he loved her but had bonded in a special way with Kate too. He was worried about his friend. Hell, they all were worried about Kate.

The room was silent except for the sounds of MeRPs working and the one with Natalia across the room, trying to explain things to Adrianna the mermaid.

"Austin, I'm sure they'll help her. We got her here quickly, right?" said April.

The door opened to reveal a sickly looking David. He took a couple of steps forward, saw Kate in surgery, mumbled something about a "Stacey", then collapsed.

April ran to catch him but a MeRP caught him first, scooping him up and injecting him with something which seemed to bring the somewhat woozy, but less than before, man back to them in the moment. "David? Are you alright? I'm sorry if I pulled you away from that learning system too soon but I thought you'd want to know Kate's had an accident." She explained.

 

[Othermoose]

David felt more lucid now, still groggy but no longer hallucinating. "It's alright April. Thank you for telling me. I think I'm doing ok for now, but enough about me. What happened to Kate?" David asked, carefully lowering himself into a chair and ignoring Austin's hate filled glare from across the room.