reveriance | TEST DRIVE #002

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test drive

TEST DRIVE #002

TEST DRIVE #002

( 0 0 1 ) » WAKE UP

Were you asleep or were you unconscious? It doesn't matter: when you come to, there's an odd taste in your mouth and there's a low-level mechanical hum in the air. Your head hurts and you feel nauseous. You aren't anywhere you know: everything around you is metal, from the floor you lie on all the way to the ceiling. You are dressed in a jumpsuit you definitely weren't wearing before.

"We tried to save the world. I think— I think we did the opposite."

The message repeats on a loop. If you look for its source, you find a comms device on the floor next to you. The logo on its wallpaper says REVERIE TERMINAL. Upon closer inspection, you find the same logo on your jumpsuit.

Welcome to your new home. What choice do you have but to explore your surroundings?

( 0 0 1 . 1 ) » WAKE UP WHERE?
When you wake up, you find that you're not alone. But more importantly, you find that you're in a closet. An empty closet, bar you and your new companion. It's small, cramped, and there is no door that you can see. The ceiling is low, there is barely any lights, only some coming from the tiny flashlight clipped to your suit's shoulder. You cannot be sure that there is any air coming in to the room.

Are these grooves in the wall supposed to mean something?

( 0 0 2 ) » OBSERVATION DECK

There were no windows in the corridor you woke up in and no windows in any of the crew quarters you might have checked for occupants — but there are plenty of windows on the uppermost level of the station, deck 1. In fact, there are windows from floor to ceiling all along the circumference of the station's circular deck, and it's possible to walk along it all. What it shows is a strange solar system you've never seen before and a planet that might resemble one you know, but certainly isn't the same.

You're in space. You don't know where you are. Neither does anyone else.

( 0 0 3 ) » BAR

On deck 3, you find the bar. Tucked away from the crew quarters, it's dimly lit, there are bar stools thrown down on the floor and what looks like some very old drink spills, crusty and dark against the bar top. But there is alcohol here, or at least, what you think is alcohol, in bottles with faded labels, most of them indecipherable. Take a drink, get drunk, start a fight, or start a party? You're stuck on this station, might as well make the most of it, right?

( 0 0 4 ) » SPACEQUAKES

One second, you are is walking. Magnetic boots are on, the ground feels solid enough, for a metal deck in a space station. Everything is perfectly fine, or at least as fine as it can be, given that you still don't know where you are or how you came to be here.

The next moment, it's like everything explodes around you. You're thrown against the wall as sparks erupts from electrical panels, as the whole station rumbles and shakes around you. You fall to the deck, earning yourself scratches from the grating. When you look up, it's like nothing has happened. No wires hanging from open panels, no flickering lights, no more shaking. Like an earthquake in space.

( 0 0 5 ) » NETWORK

The comms device you found next to you when waking up connects to a station-wide network, REVERIE NET. You have the option to post video, voice or text messages.

What will you share?

( 0 0 6 ) » WILDCARD

The station features a variety of locations, from sleeping quarters free for the claiming to a dirty swimming pool and a bar that still holds alcohol (though some of the bottles seem to have been opened a while ago).

Go wild, but don't wreck the place. It's your home for the foreseeable future, after all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The stranger is offered a polite smile upon making eye contact. No wonder people looking for a quiet place to get a drink were avoiding him.

"It's nice to meet you, Alucard," He responded automatically but had to pause for a moment to process the next question, "That... is as good of a way of explaining my sudden arrival here as any. And, yes, I did recently 'wake'.

Is there anyone on board who understands what is happening? I find it very odd that, of the people I've spoken to so far, none of them consider themselves to be part of the crew of this vessel."

It was a stab in the dark, but he was still hopeful he'd come across somebody who knew something eventually.

A well mannered individual. It was pleasant, but Alucard assumed it will change eventually. It seems to be the trend when people discover what he is. Still, that's not a topic he has to mention yet.

For now, a civilized conversation is pleasant.

"The pleasure is all mine," Alucard says gently. "If you seek the original crew, you will not find them, Connor. The people you meet are not unlike you, waking up in this station and taken away from their home or what they knew best. I am no different. We don't know why we are here, or how we ended up in this place."

A pause, if only so Alucard can drink some wine. "A mystery we are attempting to solve. It is taking time."

Alucard might be pleasantly surprised if he can overlook the android's slight social awkwardness.

Connor tilted his head slightly, a faint circular light on the side of his head lighting up blue and spinning slightly.

"For what... purpose?" A faint frown furrows his brow slightly for a moment, "That is a very puzzling mystery. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been here? How long have most been here? And have we all arrived from the same place?"

It's not as if Alucard is perfect at socializing either, broody as he is.

The light does catch his eye, but admittedly Alucard can't tell if Connor simply has cybernetic implants -- or if it's something else.

"I will do my best to answer." Alucard folds his hands together, focusing on Connor now. "I do not know what purpose there is in us being here. If there is one, I have not discovered it. I have been here for a month, some for barely a week more than that."

At the final question, he smiles crookedly. "And no. We have not, to put lightly. I don't wish to overload you with information, but I can elaborate."

"I see," There was another short-lived hint of a frown, "If we aren't all from the same place, then that almost entirely excludes the possibility that someone sent us here. But it is also unclear how probable it is that someone brought us here."

The small LED circle on his temple spun yellow as the situation failed to add up in any rational way. There had to be some pattern to all of this. Something that he could make some sense out of.

He looked at Alucard for a moment, "Do you have any theories? Does anyone?"

A curious thing, watching the light change color, but Alucard doesn't ask yet. For now, he's more intent on answering Connor's questions as much as he can.

He takes another sip of wine first. Deeply, he wishes it would do something for him, but the taste is enough for now.

"I have several theories, none of which I can prove or disprove. At the moment, I'm convinced that an entity brought us here. Perhaps the old will of the person who used to captain this station, perhaps the station itself. It is prone to hauntings and strange events that melds magic and science. Additionally, there are clues from the previous crew, though not on purpose. A suggestion that whatever they did, it caused us to be here."

He shrugs. "I know people have shared some ideas on the network. Assembling the pieces should be simple, but nothing is enough to tell us where we are or why we are here. Whatever the previous crew did was powerful enough to draw people from many kinds of places. That in itself is concerning."

Connor, naturally, had no reason to stop and wonder if the man he was speaking to was from a place where androids were commonplace. It was simply an automatic assumption that Alucard knew what he was. Like Alucard, Connor was actually pleasantly surprised by how polite the stranger was being given that he was an android.

He leaned in a little closer, obviously curious to hear the man's theories. His own programming could be limiting at times and there was so little concrete evidence to build on here. His deductions had reached countless dead ends.

"An... entity?" Connor nodded when Alucard clarified. It was a similar conclusion to the one he'd reached. It was most probable that they'd been brought here. He perked up a little as Alucard went through his list of suspects, "The station itself? Has it shown signs of sentience?"

And then he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow dubiously, "Magic? I'm sure it can all be explained. It is simply not clear right now. You mentioned some clues left behind though? Like what?"

Instead of being offended, Alucard actually smiles wryly at how Connor approaches the subject of magic. It makes sense, with how influenced by technology he clearly is, and Alucard can't really fault him for focusing on a scientific approach. He'll leave that alone, for the time being.

"The station has at least behaved in odd ways, such as walls, floors, or a door suddenly liquefying when someone touches it, then immediately hardening and trapping them within. There also has been presumably hauntings, but I admit these could be holographic displays of some kind, though I don't know where the source would be from. None of us have located it."

He holds up his wrist and begins to sort through the network. "A moment. I'll send you what everyone else has discovered so far to your own device, Connor."

Information is delivered to Connor's inbox with the following linked with the network posts by others:
• Aphrodite; Message
• Mori; Message
• Tokumei; Vision
• Johnson & others; Object Displacement
• H. Gurszky; Message
• Castiglione; Vision

"Also worth noting is that all of our personal belongings were missing when we all first woke up here. However, there have been items and even animals that have been appearing without a trace." Alucard tucks some hair behind an ear. "That is also something I have yet been able to explain."

"I noticed that as well. And the change of clothing. Maybe... our things arrived without us noticing," Really, all of this had to have an explanation.

He reached out to the watch on his wrist with his opposite hand, the skin on his fingers seemed to fade, revealing what looked like shiny, white articulated plastic fingers underneath. He touched them to the watch, which began to flicker, rapidly snapping between screens as Connor accessed and processed the data available, filtering through the posts and subsequent comments with the efficiency of a machine.

After about ten seconds, the watch face went dark and he pulled his fingers away, the skin once again covering the plastic form underneath.

"I'm not sure... what to make of all that. These recordings and messages only raise more questions," He pressed his lips into a thin line, looking puzzled but determined.

For a moment, he watches Connor in utter fascination, the way the skin fades away and reveals the truth -- the white plastic underneath, exposing him. The other androids always looked so human, lacking the LED on the temple.

Connor, on the other hand, is most definitively mechanical.

"That, we can all agree on," Alucard says softly. "You are not human, are you? If you don't mind my saying."

He doesn't sound upset. Interested, very much so.

He gives Alucard an odd look, a nearly neutral expression if it weren't for the obvious hint of confusion, the way his eyes searched Alucard's face.

"My apologies," He smiles politely, "I thought it was obvious. I'm an android. CyberLife model RK800.

You are the second person who has asked me this and I haven't seen any other androids on board. Are androids uncommon here?"

"There are a few here. However, where I am from, you would not meet a single one." Alucard isn't bothered. To him, he still takes the improper assumption that they decide for themselves.

He would not fathom it being different from that.

Alucard tilts his head. "You will find many of us have never encountered one before. I did not wish to alarm you, but many of us are taken from many different places and timelines. Maybe even other realities and planets. Half of us are human, half of us are not, and only a handful are like you."

"Really?" The circle once again lit up a pale blue, and spun a few times, "I appreciate your candidness. I will take that into consideration when interacting with people I haven't met before."

The news about people being brought here from places beyond his comprehension also seemed to reinforce their theory that they'd been brought here, but it certainly added a level of complexity to the mystery. However they'd been brought here had to be able to access all these various places...

"I find it very surprising that there aren't more androids on board a station like this," He didn't sound at all surprised actually. In fact, his tone hadn't really changed much at all during the conversation, nor had his expression, remaining neutral and pleasant, "Who cleans and maintains the station? ... Humans?"

He's only being the a bit snarky with the last comment. Honestly, it was difficult for him to imagine humans doing dirty work and menial labor like that.

Faintly, Alucard smiles before he inclines with his head. "Of course. You've been nothing but polite, I will offer the same."

Slowly, Alucard observes a bit more in terms of how Connor behaves. If he hadn't known that he'd been an android before, he'd have guessed that maybe something was off about him. Instead, though Connor is very lifelike in many ways, his tone and pace are meticulous, in a way. Curious, but perhaps deliberate.

Which is strange, with how much Alucard dislikes 9S, who isn't particularly pleasant. Perhaps 9S simply has a different function.

"No one, at the moment," Alucard says wryly. "Though the gravity was temporarily shut off, it took many of us to fix it regardless of species. Anything else appears to be self-regulated, if only because we cannot reach the more important systems, much less the bridge. Many doors are locked, and we've not found a way of breaking through yet."

Connor glanced around a little bit. The hallways he's been in hadn't seemed especially dirty, nor had the room he'd 'woken up' in. And the bar itself looked clean and upkept. From experience, he expected piles of refuse and obvious neglect in the absence of anyone cleaning or taking care of things. But maybe that was just Detroit.

"What other species are present here aside from humans?" He didn't include androids in with this. They weren't technically alive. He wouldn't really consider them a 'species' though he wasn't sure what other category they might fit into.

"Self-regulating on some scale would make sense. Many systems can be designed to self-diagnose, troubleshoot and repair... to an extent," He glanced away for a moment before making eye contact again, fidgeting a little. He'd been unable to connect with the station fully, firewalls along with physical walls perhaps. His eyes light up suddenly as an idea hits him, "When the gravity stopped working, did any new areas of the station open up?"

It would make sense that there might be something written into the station's program that would allow access only when self-repairs failed.

There's a soft hum from Alucard as he considers. It'll be interesting to see Connor's reaction to the information. Some were not terribly convinced about his own nature until it was more apparent.

"There are three devils, a handful of mutated humans with unusual abilities, humans with magical capacity, three other androids I know of, and likely other species I do not have documented. I myself am not completely human." He pauses, then says plainly, "My father was a vampire, making me what is technically called a dhampir."

He frowns at the last question, then shakes his head. "I'm afraid no new areas opened. However, several of us are preparing to break down the locked doors. Individuals like Apollo have enhanced strength. I am preparing myself for such an occasion as well and gathering my strength. One other android said he's been attempting to access the station remotely. If you have such a capability, perhaps you can collaborate with him. Though he's far from being as pleasant as you."

He listened with a blank, vaguely thoughtful, expression as Alucard went through a breakdown of the population on board, the circular LED spinning a pale blue once or twice as he spoke. The information was difficult to process, an impossibility that was now, not only true, but something that was right in front of him. His only option was to accept what he was being told.

It presented some problems with his programming however, the circle flickering yellow a few times as he was forced to write in new rules based on his own judgement. Mutated humans and humans with strange abilities, he still couldn't quite accept 'magic' as an explanation, were easily categorized with humans, but he was unsure how to categorize devils or Alucard himself. For both, he didn't have much more than a compilation of references, stories and myths that existed on record in his world. They were a very troubling grey area, so, for the moment, he applied the rule that they would be handled like humans per his programming unless they posed a direct threat to a human.

The entire process took only half a minute, the pause was noticeable, but not exceptionally long.

"Of course, I would be happy to assist however I'm able," He frowned slightly at Alucard, "What do you mean by that? How has he been 'unpleasant'?"

Truthfully, Alucard hadn't been sure how Connor might respond. Perhaps dismissive, just as some had been, or maybe more aggressively, not unlike A2. Instead, Connor has his momentary pause, as if he'd been thinking it over.

Then he moves on.

Interesting. Alucard tilts his head, watching the android in front of him. He has so many questions of his own, but he keeps his curiosity in check.

"Simply lacking in manners; he was one of many who did not believe me at first when I told him what I was. The other androids have been much more vocal in their personality." Which does lead to some other questions. Are they more developed in their design, to be so convincingly human? Or is Connor just different? "I'm certain he would cooperate with you. Perhaps just don't mention me if you encounter him."

With a slightly softer tone, he offers, "If you have more detailed questions, you are welcome to ask them. I simply didn't enjoy the way others have handled it, but you have been perfectly polite."

"... But... that is what you say you are," The argument made sense to Connor, but he realized it might not make as much sense to anyone else, so he searched for another way to express what he meant, "From what I have seen and from what you have told me, things exist and are possible here that are beyond the scope of my knowledge and previous experience. Trying to deny they exist is pointless. Perhaps the information caused it some distress."

He makes a note of this android, however. It's behavior definitely sounded deviant, which made Connor curious and keen to speak with it.

"Well, since you don't mind answering, what are the primary physiological differences between a dhampir and a human? If you were injured or became ill, I would like to know best to help you," He explained, "The information I have seems to come from... stories. It may not be correct."

The way that Connor answers at first is odd, almost making him seem naive until he better clarifies himself. That makes more sense to Alucard, and he lets out a dry laugh at first. He does curiously note how Connor refers to 9S as an it, but perhaps that was normal?

He'll remember that.

"That is considerate of you," Alucard says a bit more warmly. "I do not become easily ill. I expect someone would have to have a consecrated item to harm be properly, but even those I can heal from. I can regenerate from most wounds easily."

Save for one. One that still heals, still slows him down and exhausts him.

"Rumors and stories are half-truths. For example, I would hardly need to worry about garlic, but I am sensitive to sunlight. Not so much as a full-blooded vampire would be. If I were to truly become injured to the point of needing assistance, I would..." Alucard pauses, then says hesitantly, "I would need someone's blood to help recover me. I assure you, I would not and never will take any from someone who is unwilling."

"A consecrated item?" He raises an eyebrow slightly, "There's a difference between a consecrated bullet and a regular bullet?"

Was he teasing Alucard a little bit? Maybe. He wasn't sure how biology could tell the difference between whether something had been blessed or not, but what information he had actually seemed to back up what Alucard was claiming.

"Do you consume food and drinks like a human? Or do you only require... human blood?" Knowing that Alucard, apparently, only took 'donations' from the willing was reassuring at least. He believed the claim... for now. Until he saw evidence on the contrary.

That does earn a wry smile from the dhampir. "Theoretically, a consecrated bullet would do more damage to me. Imagine... mm. Not unlike what acid might do to a normal person. It burns. I would still heal, but it would impact me more than a normal bullet." He shrugs a shoulder. "Not that I have been shot before by a firearm of any kind. Hopefully that won't be anytime soon."

This particular subject can become a little more delicate. He wasn't sure what kind of task Connor had been created for, precisely, but he's certain a human creation would be deeply concerned on behalf of humans as a whole. That could mean that possibly Connor would be protective of the humans on this station.

He couldn't blame him, but it does become tiring.

"I can consume human food. It can be enjoyable, but it does nothing for me nutritionally. I require about a pint of human blood every two weeks under normal circumstances. I currently have at least two consistent people who are donating to me as I need."

It won't be enough. Less than a year out, he'll have hardly enough strength that he really needs, but Alucard is sincerely trying not to think too much of the future. There's only so much he can control.

"Yes, but... acid is real. It is a physical thing and the effect is a result of a chemical reaction," He pointed out, though he sounded more curious than argumentative. He didn't, and couldn't, understand how consecrating a bullet would make any difference.

Before he could delve too deeply into that line of thinking though, Alucard inadvertently raised another question in his mind.

"What kinds of weapons are available on the station?" He wanted to know what sort of things he could expect to run into.

And yet another issue was brought up. He glanced at Alucard's drink - red wine most likely by the looks of it, though he couldn't be sure without a sample. He then looked behind the bar, scanning the various bottles.

"There is a supply of food and water then?" Of course, he idly wondered about a supply of thirium and possibly spare parts, but that was likely not something Alucard would be aware of.

The way that Connor states it doesn't sound like he's trying to argue the matter, but to understand it. How does one explain a matter of faith and God to an android, he wonders? Idly, Alucard traces a fingertip along the outside of his glass.

"I think that, perhaps, that is quite a subject to touch upon," Alucard muses. "Where I am from, people who are properly ordained and believe in their God can bless objects and water. There is no God that loves creatures like me, beings of the night -- vampires, demons, and so on. As such, those sorts of objects harm me more effectively than any normal weapon would."

He smiles faintly. "I know it is difficult to quantify. Acid is a real and physical thing. You can see it, analyze it, comprehend it. Measuring things like... faith and truth. That is much harder to conceive. But they are just as real, Connor, even if you cannot touch them."

The next two questions are fair to explain as well. Basic needs.

"The only weapons available are the ones that appear, or the ones we make. I myself have comfort in my sword. I don't know any who carry a firearm if that is what you are used to, but perhaps you should reach out to the rest of the community." He finishes his wine. "There is a steady supply of water, though I doubt it's indefinite. There are food replicators, but I have seen some individuals become temporarily ill from them. Nothing worse than food poisoning on occasion. They seem to replicate whatever species utilizes them."

Connor smiles softly. He was aware that religion was a touchy subject, in fact, there were many outspoken preachers who claimed that androids were an abomination, that giving a machine consciousness was an affront to god.

"There are also those who can do that where I am from," The LED spun a few times, flickering yellow, software instability, "If you believe such things, then those objects should also do more harm to me. Androids were not made by God. We have no soul."

Definitely a deep subject to get into during their first conversation, but Connor didn't seem to really notice. Alucard's comment about the realness of such abstract things as faith and truth once again made his LED flicker yellow for a moment. He was unsure how to sort data like that.

"Is there a... need for weapons? What you showed me before," He indicated with a tilt of his head towards his smartwatch, "There were no physical threats, nothing that required a weapon."

"The food replication process is imperfect?" That was an oddity for sure, "If it synthesizes various foods, could it not also synthesize blood?" Or, perhaps, thirium. They were both just made up of chemical compounds after all.

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