trans_9 | (no subject)

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Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There was condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in oblong glowing things that were clustered along the floors and walls of the huge, ancient-looking caverns.

For now, the ones that were cracking were the closest to the floor, but perhaps later, the figures sliding out of the pods would be sliding out onto the slimy walkways and platforms above.

Pop. Poppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiissss.

There was light, and unconscious minds breaking through the top of the briny, harsh waters of consciousness, as their bodies did similarly and broke free from the pods, sliding to the floor, shivering in pools of slime.

Once the temporary blindness that some of them had passed, and once they were free of their sleepy stupors: somebody had some splainin' to do.

But there would be no explanations, as the only thing that could explain was only watching, silently, almost as a mother would look at their child right after it was born.

Pop. KASCHUNKhissss.

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"Oh sure," she said distractedly. "If you don't count the zombies."

"Oh, zombies. Right. A scrap with the living dead would be above this on my 'this is bullshit' meter. Just slightly." Unfortunately, she had him thinking, now. Aliens, or living dead? Sure, he thought she was kidding, but still. Anything could be in here.

Would either actually come running out of the shadows in this place? His attention had drifted, eyeing other pods. Some were cracked, or empty. They were not alone here.

Nothing like the threat of zombies to make him feel uneasy.

Well there was an easy way to find out what the hell was going on.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?!"

Seeing if someone answered that.

||You have been Chosen.||

No zombies ~~yet~~, no aliens ~~yet~~, just a weirdly monotone, feminine sort of voice.

Because every creepy place needs a voice that comes from nowhere.

"Is that really such a good idea? Christ. There went my left eardrum." The chick had a set of lungs on her. Tony had flinched back from her sudden bellow.

The damnable thing was that something answered, and it actually sent a little shiver down his spine.. either that, or the draft was getting to him. Either way, it was unpleasant. "Chosen for what?" That was a confused murmur, meant for himself rather than any.. audience he had gained in this place.

"How do I go about getting UN-chosen? I mean, I'm flattered, I think, but.. I mean I have a busy schedule, and I'd like to go home now." Where-ever this was, he didn't want to be here. It was weird to be yelling at nothing, too.

Chosen for...what?

~~For a great purpose.~~

"What are you?"

||Information classified.||

Apparently "mysterious voice" was all the answer that they were going to get.

Okay. A couple questions, one answer. It was an answer he didn't like, either. Tony could be a little accustomed to getting his way. This silence didn't set right with him, and his jaw set obstinately.

Still, damnit, he knew when someone had the upper hand. Or tentacle. Or whatever the fuck this thing might have.

"Okay. Thanks for sharing. Anything more cryptic you'd like to tell us?"

"Alright, fine, who are you? Let's try that one."

||My name is--||

Instead of a name, Cybil and Tony would get a burst of feelings in their heads. Maternal love, duty, and honor, all mixed up together. ||The closest approximation of my name that can be produced by human vocal chords is STA'C K'LTRRB'TXFT.|| A pause. ||You may call me Stacy, however.||

Telepathy? Oh, no. His brains were important. "Do you read thoughts, or just, you know.. force, uh, empathy?" Tony had ground his back teeth through the transmission of emotion. Yes, it was relieving that they were recognizable, human qualities, but they weren't his, and he didn't like the trespassing on his mind.

"Stacy. That's.. cute." Still, a name, and they knew nothing else.

||Information classified.||

Sorry, no information for you. Ask another question?

"Is where we can get some clothes classified?"

||No, the location of the Clothing Room is not classified. Please follow the lights.||

A line of...pustules at their feet lit up, leading away into the dim light of the pod caverns.

Clothing room.. wel, they'd have to have something for all these people. Too many pods to count, really. The room was dim and seemed to stretch forever, at least from where he was standing. And who was to say there wasn't another set of rooms? Hell, a whole planet full of them?

Then the lights went on near his feet, and he jerked backwards two steps, surprised and disgusted at the same time.

"Bioluminescence." Like a jellyfish.. or a glowfly. "Is this whole place.. alive?" What he'd give for a regular old light bulb.

It was going to be hard to tinker with anything in here, wasn't it?

||Information classified.||

Try not to think too much about that, Tony.

"Annnd it's clear that rhetorical questions are out," Cybil said.

Hmm, now how where the mechanics of this going to work?

"Get walking," she said to Tony. "You're going in front."

"I thought working with the military was bad. Jesus." Tony was groaning, then, already tired of all this. Having some sort of idea at all would be.. nice.

Then Cybil was barking orders at him, and she didn't really sound like she was going to take any shit from him at that point. He let out a long-suffering sigh. It wasn't like he could really cover both.. well, she probably knew he would look the moment her back was turned.

"Fine. Enjoy the view." No more arguing. Time to start moving.

"I'm a little more worried about making sure you're not enjoying the view," she said. "I've got more things to cover and the same number of hands."

"Maybe I should do something to make sure you areenjoying it." Like what? His dignity was already gone, stripped away, mind you. God help her if he decided he felt like making this worse, somehow. "I think most of my worst plans are hatched by trying to get some woman to come look at my ass."

Seriously, there were worse things.

"You don't think these are the sort of aliens that probe people, do you? I'm not down with that."

"If they are? We're already naked and covered in goo. We've probably already been probed. And there's not much more you could do than walk in front and be covered in alien KY. Maybe walk up and down stairs, I don't know," came an amused voice from behind him.

"Wouldn't you like, know? You ever had someone complain after a cavity search?" Was he serious? It was hard to tell whether or not this topic actually bothered him. Probably not.

"I think we're all ramps in this place. Too bad for you." She sounded.. better. "Are you smiling? I hear a smile. I don't dare check for myself. I don't need bruises, too." Keep your eyes in front, Tony..

"Criminals complain about everything."

They really did.

Deadpan. "You heard wrong. There's no smile at all. My sense of humor was surgically removed when I graduated from the police academy. They do that to all of us, you know."

"Damn straight, and you know why? You're infringing on their rights to be stupid." Yes, well, Tony wasn't too aquainted with the common criminal. He was more used to embezzelment and attempts to sell company secrets. It was no wonder he played certain cards close to his chest.

Literally.

"Did I kill the funny?" Bringing it up in conversation may have reminded her that things were incredibly awkward here. Then she had mentioning it being removed, and.. he was laughing, finally. She might try to kill him later, but he didn't think he'd hold it against her. She was something else.

"Now, that's no way to live. Besides, I've met cops that have senses of humor.. rotten ones, but there." Business, damnit, focus. How did he manage to let his brain wander when he was in the middle of some alien hive with no clue what was going on?

"That's funny, because I haven't met any, and I am one."

She was kind of wondering the same thing, how she was with some naked stranger on an alien ship and not freaking out.

Up, up, the walkway.

They could see the caverns sprawling below, all the little pods glowing in the dark.

"That is some view."

A careful pause.

"And so's the cavern."