NEW COMERS POST 1

[proximods]

Who: OPEN TO ALL
What: The first wave of newcomers arrive in the hospital.
Where: The Hospital, Center City
When: July 26
Warnings: Please tag any smut or triggers in the comment subject line.

The common room is just as brightly lit and white as the rest of the hospital. There are some scattered seats - large plush chairs and stiff looking couches, as well as wooden chairs at tables - and a TV blaring local soap operas in the corner. A few long tables are set up along the walls, each with a sign dangling down from the front to inform newcomers of what they can find here. Housing, job opportunities, and the Proxima Gamma Information Desk. Minus a few pamphlets about the unique attractions the island has to offer, there isn’t really that much of use on the last table. It’s clearly meant more for tourists than people who have been kidnapped.

Another set of tables hold a variety of snacks; fruits, vegetables, various candies, as well as a table with water, punch, and soda. No alcohol, unfortunately - this is a hospital, after all. You’ll have to leave to go find a bar for something stronger than that.

There’s not much place else to go - so come on in, settle down, and maybe find a familiar face, if you’re lucky.

Comments

[true_noir]

"Actually... I met one just before I was brought here. I just never thought I would meet another," she admitted, still quite curious. "We'd only barely spoken, but it was right before, so it's still fresh in my mind."

...

"Well, there was the ship too. But she was even stranger. But you'll figure out the whole flesh and blood thing soon. It isn't that tricky. Just uncomfortable, I've heard. Where I was, a lot of things that weren't human were made human."

[the_least_i_could_do]

Now it was Vector's turn to be intrigued. If Chloe had met a program where she was before - then it was entirely possible that another program other than himself could come here.

"Do you know their name or function? Or if they were from the Grid?" The black guard asked. He thought for a moment on the matter of having a human body.

"Thankfully I was spared that." He said finally in relieved tones. "Apparently I am functional enough for this place that I was not altered. I'm written in the image of the Users. I feel just as much as you do." He reassured. He still didn't know how he was able to function outside of a computer - but he was happy that he wasn't biological.

[true_noir]

"I think her name was... Gem. She might have mentioned the Grid. I'm not entirely sure. She isn't here, I know that much." she shook her head, having little to no opinion on her, other than that she'd been pretty. They hadn't had time to get past that when she was brought here.

"Ah, I see... so you aren't completely human right now? You are just made to look and act like us?" she added, considering that for a minute. "That is a little different than it was on the island. She was turned into a human, trying to figure out all the strange gurglings and odd sensations for the first time."

[the_least_i_could_do]

Vector didn't find the name immediately familiar. He should have known that. The Grid had a high population of programs and he didn't know all of them. He was silent for a moment as he took in what Chloe said. This island place she had come from. They turned non-humans into humans? The very thought was disturbing enough to cause a flicker of unease to show in his eyes.

"No. I have retained my original form. Though I have no idea how I was brought here out of the computer or how I can function. I was assured I could eat and drink if required and that it would cause no harm." He had just never tried it. "I was written in the image of the Users. I look and feel much like a human does. The differences are more beneath the surface render."

[true_noir]

She nodded. "How... I never did learn how that creature summoned us to the island. I don't know how they do it here. Magic, technology, who can say? It doesn't really matter right now, other than for the curious." A shrug. "But you were made in the image of the users, you say? So... you look like the person who most often used you as a program?"

[the_least_i_could_do]

"Hmm..agreed." Vector murmured with a slight frown. "What's done is done. We just have to try and deal with what is in front of us." Though he was still curious about how they managed to bring him here. He had to admit...here was better than where he came from. He would be derezzed and gone otherwise. Yes, he was a program. But he still had that desire to live - just like anyone.

"Not quite. The creator of my system 'the Grid' was a User named Kevin Flynn. As far as I know he created most of the programs in the system. But none of us looked like him. Only Clu - the system administrator, resembled the Creator." He mused thoughtfully. "Other programs were transfers from other systems. Legend has it, that in the older cycles of the systems, programs tended to resemble their Users more closely and held a little of their spirit perhaps." He inclined his head slightly.

"When I say I was written in the image of the Users, I mean that I am written to resemble a human."

[true_noir]

All of this was ... well, intriguing. It was like a whole digital world, complete with its own legends and beliefs. She nodded, just slightly fascinated by the possibilities that it posed. "It mirrors our world a great deal, believe it or not. There are a lot of people who think much the same way about their gods, among humans." She chuckled softly. "Not that I think the allegory goes further than that, but it does seem your world was created to draw a bit from the world that brought it into being."

She looked out over the room and her smile grew. "And now we're both microbes in someone's petri dish."

[the_least_i_could_do]

Vector nodded, pleased to see that she was understanding him and taking it rather well. "Yes, to some, the User/program connection is like a religion or spirituality." He admitted. He wasn't one of those sorts of programs however. Maybe at one time, he had more respect for the Creator - but since he had seemingly abandoned the Grid, he didn't harbor such feelings anymore.

He didn't know what microbes or petri dishes were, however he completely understood the context. "I was brought here when I was run through with an identity disc." He admitted. "I should be derezzed right now but...here I am. I guess you could say it's a second chance." He shrugged, spreading his hands. "Even though it is disturbing to me to be outside of a digital realm, I must admit I am curious to see how similiar this reality is to mine."

[true_noir]

"Derezzed... I am guessing that qualifies as what you understand as death?" she said, looking him over and considering the implications. It was similar to her own situation, after all. "Before I arrived in another place, the one I was at before here, the same had happened to me... well death anyway. A creature brought me back to life there. So, I could say I have a bit of experience with second chances..."

A moment's consideration and she chuckled. "Don't let it go to waste. You only get so long with them."

[the_least_i_could_do]

Vector nodded at her question that derezzing was the same as death. His eyebrows rose as he took in what she said. So it appeared that she too had been 'derezzed' before she had been brought to another place. It brought a strange sort of comfort to know that he wasn't alone in that experience.

He smiled a little at her chuckle. "I suppose you are correct." He said finally after some thought. He didn't know if he wanted to consider the possibilty that he would be sent back to his world...and not exist. "The tricky part is figuring out what I could do here." He shrugged a little.

"I am a black guard. In my system's beginnings I was system security. I have a written purpose. I am not sure how I can meet that purpose while here." He had never considered before, what other things he could possibly do.

[true_noir]

"Assuming that there is a police force, that probably would be the best choice. I was... usually on the other side of things once upon a time, but I've been thinking of going that route myself. For a change of pace." It certainly didn't seem like the worst career choice as is. "It would, however, be the closest to security you're likely to find."

[the_least_i_could_do]

Vector was silent for a few moments considering this.

"Hmm...I will take that into account." He said finally, voice soft. His expression was typically neutral or at ease, but now there was a brief flicker of uncertainty. The program truly was out of his element.

"It is probably best that I try and find a place to stay as well. I hear they will not let us stay here in this place." That too was disconcerting. As a program - a place to stay was all ready provided depending on what one did. Black Guards resided in quarters or barracks, called upon when needed for missions. There was none of this concern with doing jobs for monetary reward so one could survive.

[true_noir]

"Oh they probably won't. I plan to find a place to squat for a month safely. I want to get a feel for the land before I make real roots," she said, shrugging. "We're far enough outside of what I expected that I want to know what I'm dealing with before I deal much with other people. It's important to know the terms... and what these scientists want."

[the_least_i_could_do]

Vector nodded in agreement. "I like how you think." He said finally, a small quirk of a hidden smile on his lips. "I do not wish to have someplace permanent. Just somewhere to rest. I am not in need of much." Even his quarters back on the Grid were rather spartan. It was more function than personal.

"Perhaps a little bit of recon is best before finding a place of advantage to situate oneself." He murmured half to himself. It was always best to get the lay of the land before proceeding on a mission. He looked down at the peach still in his hands, idly stroking fingertips along the fruit, noting the texture.

"I must admit, being cut off from my system is a bit...jarring." Understatement. "I imagine that most people feel this way when arriving here but..." His voice faded slightly. It was clear there was a lot more mixed emotions running beneath the cool exterior. More than he let on at least. The program was clearly at a loss.

He wasn't written for anything like this.

"Perhaps in some way we can assist each other as we seek information on our captors and our environment."

[true_noir]

"Trust me when I say that eventually squatting gets old, but at least for the start, it's a way to get your bearings and the lay of the land. Knowing basically what is going on is smarter than just playing into their games," she said, grunting once and shrugging.

"But I think we can help each other. If you happen to run across anything worth mentioning, however unlikely that is to start, just send me a message. I'll do the same. I'm a little less jarred by all of this than I really should be, but maybe that will help get my feet wet, eh?"