Queries and Quibbles--mind your Q's

[cityship]

[ooc: Read this bit.]

Something happens outside the ship. There's a concussive noise like something docking, and then the doors to Obs open again, to reveal a mostly intact, but somewhat bedraggled away team. One of them is injured, and part of the group works to get her down to MedBay, some of the others look stoic and a touch upset with what they've learned.

Some look pissed off that their various morphers and power suits have been stolen away from them again by Stacy's tentacles or dampened.

Something happens INSIDE the ship. A handful of individuals are released from their pods after quite some time of running imaginary mazes.

Comments

Returning to the Fold

[cityship]

A few individuals had gone missing. No one noticed. There's a REASON they didn't.

Now, they're back, and that brings up even MORE questions...

Re: Returning to the Fold

[titanium-will.livejournal.com]

Whoa. Whoa, whoa. He'd just got up and shit was already going down. A fog of confusion had settled itself quite firmly in Tony's mind, a sense of deva vu. He had been here and he had done this before.

He'd gotten himself dressed, had groggily tried to head to someplace with people in it to ask some questions.. if he could think of them by the time he got there.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[staturity]

Cass's jaw dropped so fast it nearly hit the floor, figuratively speaking.

"Uncle Tony?"

Re: Returning to the Fold

[thenameissam.livejournal.com]

This was one of those times where Sam was just standing around--with much less effort now--and listening to the goings on of the meeting. And, of course, this would be the one time that he just happened to glance over and see none other than Tony Stark.

Apparently the training he'd been forcing upon himself was slowly beginning to pay off, because in an instant Sam has his Beretta drawn and was aiming it right at Tony's head. "What the hell do you think you're doing here...Yeerk?!" he growled at Iron Man.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[titanium-will.livejournal.com]

Well, he'd wandered into the right place. People standing around, looking confused and angry. Some of them were beat up. How terribly distressing, but he only felt it distantly. He needed a few seconds to reboot his brains. They were just moving sluggishly.

"Hmmwha?" Cute chick, little blond girl, but the uncle honorific was not necessary. "I'm a single child." He had merely given her a bland look. "I guess you're someone else from my future, blah blah-.."

Tony had been cut off, rather rudely, as Seth.. no.. Sam.. whatever the hell that pushy kid's name was.. was pointing a gun at him. Tony sighed, raised his hands, palms up. There was no point in trying to rush anybody. "What is a yuck?" His nose wrinkled, faintly. "Whatever I did last night, I don't remember it. Tequila is a hell of a drink."

Alright. He needed to wake up, and quickly.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[thenameissam.livejournal.com]

"Bullsh!t," Sam snapped. Who the heck did he think he was fooling? Sam was one of the people that had put the slug in Tony's brain to begin with. Well, the Yeerk in control of Sam had been anyway, the same one that had made Sam shoot himself in the head. So, to say Sam had some issues with the Yeerks--and the one that had to still be in Tony's head--was an understatement.

"Now, how about you be a nice slug and step over there?" he said, motioning to a small empty space near the wall, safely away from the rest of the crew. "Or I let the Andalites deal with you."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[titanium-will.livejournal.com]

"Language. There are ladies present." Smugly spoken, as if he wasn't the proud owner of a pottymouth ninety percent of the time. Despite the situation, his lips curled in a faint smile.

"I don't know what you're getting all worked up about." Maybe he shouldn't push Sam's buttons. The kid looked worked up enough to actually shoot him.. and he had no faith in the ship's ability to protect his so-precious ass. "I just woke up. I mean it. I have no idea what's going on."

It was the truth, even!

Re: Returning to the Fold

[staturity]

From the looks of it that wasn't the Tony Stark she knew, or if he were he fell off the wagon and was too drunk to recognize her, but he was still her Uncle Tony.

Which was why Cass just grew five feet and clenched her hand into a fist.

"Lower your gun now."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim drew his staff, eying Cass with... more than a little wariness. She was a lot bigger than him, but then--he'd taken down giant robots before, and while people were a little trickier, he thought he could manage if he had to. He'd been watching the situation with Sam and Tony, trying to ascertain if the newly returned guy was still Yeerked. He wanted to make sure Sam had a chance to figure it out before Tony got a chance to reinfect people.

Never again.

"Back off," he said to Cass warningly. "No one's going to hurt him. We just want to make sure he doesn't have mind worms."

Yeah, he knew how dumb that sounded.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[titanium-will.livejournal.com]

"Uh." Yup. Girls doubling their height instantly? That was a new one. Briefly he considering the technology it would take to clothe such a being, remembered that she had called him Uncle, and thought about her naked anyway.

Then the other guy showed up.


Now the scene was getting a little bit of attention. He remembered the other guy, now.. Robin. Another somewhat foggy chunk of memory dropped into place, one where he'd been semi-caught poking around in broken technology. The parts he'd been trying to make a bomb out of.

Oh yeah. That mind worm.

"I don't feel all that homicidal today." Cheerfully added. He was no help at all.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

FWAPP!

Speaking of Andalites...

Ax's tail blade stopped millimeters from Tony's throat.

He was only just remembering this particular human as being on the crew, and that only made him angrier. What else had the ship done to his mind?!

< I would suggest that you remain very, very still, > he said.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[titanium-will.livejournal.com]

Tony literally didn't see it coming. He could feel the movement of air on his throat for a few seconds after the blade-tail had stopped.

It had gone dark, and he realized after a few seconds that he had squeezed his eyes shut. He very, very carefully opened one a few moments later, squinting painfully. Hope, his head was still on his neck. That was good.

"I usually only take suggestions from my lawyer, but I'm in a good mood today, so.." Nope. Not moving. Not an inch.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[doctor-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Of all the things for Jean to wander upon it had to be this confrontation.

"What the....?!?!" She cried, her gaze moving quickly between all gathered.

"Sam! What on Earth are you doing?" She turned toward Ax, "And you? What is going on here?!"

Re: Returning to the Fold

[blue-fuzzy-dude.livejournal.com]

This was exactly where Kurt didn't want to be when he woke up. Sure, he didn't have any better plans, except to beg someone to drive him to Dairy Queen so he could have an ice cream cake. Chocolate. Mmm..

Except, in space, there was no chocolate. Just the ship trying to shake itself apart, apparently.

Obs deck was where everyone seemed to be heading, so he had carefully merged with the traffic, so to speak. A sense of dread was already building in him, starting to strangle out dreams of running endlessly through hoops.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[ihatefire.livejournal.com]

Seeing them again--seeing them again tripped something. Triggered something.

"Kurt?"

They wouldn't have forgotten them on their own--Cybil wouldn't have forgotten them on her own.

"Jesus Christ! Stacy! What did you do to us? Why didn't we remember these people?"

Re: Returning to the Fold

[blue-fuzzy-dude.livejournal.com]

"Oh, hello, captain. Is everyone okay?" He was moving a hand up to cover his mouth, still stifling a yawn. "I think I overslept." By a couple of months.. not that he knew that.

Though her suddenly outburst was enough to make him freeze up. He was officially confused.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[cityship]

"Your memories of them were suppressed--they were not needed," chirps a voice that is not Stacy's, as GLaDOS appears on a screen. "[Subject Name Here] and [Subject Name Here] must both be the pride of [Subject Hometown Here] and [Subject Hometown Here]. They exceeded all expectations and did not die."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[ihatefire.livejournal.com]

"Who are you? What did you do to them? Kurt, are you all right? Were you hurt?" Cybil asks, going over to check him over. "Brainy, get over here and check him over, will you?"

Re: Returning to the Fold

[blue-fuzzy-dude.livejournal.com]

"I.. uh.. " Kurt had even used the wrong title for her, at this point in time. Then the voice spoke, and he was flooded with a cold sensation.

Yup. That was panic.

At least he didn't try to teleport out of the room, but for a moment, all his fuzz was standing on end, like a terrified cat trying to make itself look bigger.

"I think I know what a lab rat feels like." At least he answered her questions and didn't try to raise too much fuss when she wanted to poke at him. "I am okay.. I think."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Kurt is scanned by a floating green fellow he's never even seen before.

"His vital signs indicate he's likely been recently released from stasis, but his physical condition seems optimal otherwise."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[ihatefire.livejournal.com]

Cybil puts a comforting hand on Kurt's shoulder at the visible panic.

"Who are you? What did you do to him? What do you mean you suppressed our memories?"

Re: Returning to the Fold

[cityship]

"I am GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), one of the resident AIs. I am responsible for Psychological Studies and Computer-aided Enrichment of the Crew. When a crewmate is taken for studies, the rest of the crew's memories of them are suppressed to prevent distress. Distress is a mess."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[ihatefire.livejournal.com]

"What is 'computer-aided enrichment'? What did you do?"

Yeah, she's pissed. The ship took crew members and did who knew what to them and made the crew FORGET them--they didn't even know to look for them.

Re: Returning to the Fold

[blue-fuzzy-dude.livejournal.com]

Alright, so the physical wasn't too bad. Too bad there was nobody really around that might actually respond favorably to a quip. The comment about being in good shape was wasted. The green kid didn't look like he had much of a sense of humor.

Kurt was fine, and that was the important thing. Cybil had touched his shoulder, and she could probably feel his back muscles go slack with relief.

"I, uh, think there were hoops. And there was supposed to cake. I never got any." For a moment honest frustration was on his face. "I thought I was having a really stupid dream."

Re: Returning to the Fold

[ihatefire.livejournal.com]

Her arm sweeps into a more comforting, protective half-hug around his shoulders. She has a thing. About kids getting hurt.

In this case, this was one that she had been responsible for--she had been captain at that time.

"How many others have you taken like this? Has anyone else gone missing?"