trans_9 | Watching and Waiting [open]

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Watching and Waiting [open]

Paranoia was a perfectly reasonable reaction to waking up in a strange place covered in slime, having a fight with tentacles that put some kind of throbbing...thing on him, and then being forced to run through mazes that shot fire, a cruel voice passive-aggressively taunting him the entire time.

Tarzan didn't know where he was, didn't know what was going on, and didn't know what happened to the people--and gorillas---he cared about most. His entire world had been turned upside down. He'd found himself in a strange place completely full of people, more people than he'd even imagined existed. It was full of lots of strange people, and some of them walked on two legs but didn't look human; others were clearly animals but they conversed with humans with apparently no difficulty.

They all were strange to him. Frightening, even to one that had faced Sabor. It was all so confusing. Even terrifying, all the more so because he couldn't find Jane or his mother anywhere, even when he searched during the times other slept.

So he'd hidden in Hydroponics, and taken to the trees, wary of every living being on the ship.

Anyone that entered Hydroponics and stayed there for long might find themselves having the unmistakable feeling that they were being watched.

But he was just as curious as he was frightened and cautious. As much as he was holding back from the people on the ship, he had a burning desire to speak to them, to figure out what they were all about.

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Beastboy felt the slow creeping sensation of being watched...and promptly ignored it. At least for a few minutes. Around here it always felt like someone was lurking over your shoulder be it Stacy, another crewmate or possibly GLaDOS.

For now he was a man on a mission! He'd run out of his own snack stash and needed something sweet. And there were these strange looking fruits he had seen before in Hydroponics that he'd never tried before. For all he knew they could be poisonous to humans.

So he was going to attempt to eat one as a monkey and see how that went!

This sort of logic was what propelled out little green hero into the leaves of the trees as a monkey, swinging about and chattering cheerfully as he sought out the fruit tree he pictured in his mind. It was hard to focus though, being an agile little monkey was one of the more fantastic experiences he'd had with his shape shifting powers. Right up there with flying and being a dolphin.

There was a rustle in the leaves as he was followed, but whatever was following him didn't show itself, beyond being a darting shadow in the branches.

Beastboy stopped in his path and hung from a branch by his tail glancing around slowly, the fur starting to bristle on his back.

He had never had any problems with predators in Hydroponics, but there was a first time for everything.

When he glanced back in one direction, he'd hear a sudden rustle of leaves and find himself facing a man who hanging upside down.

"Ook ook."

That meant "hey, 'sup."

The Green monkey let out a screech of shock and fell from the branch landing on a branch just below.

Eyes spinning for a moment he shook his head and looked up at the man. Had he just spoken monkey?!

Uh...sup dude?

There was a rapid stream of ooks and eeks and grunting noises that meant:

[Can you tell me what's going on here, little guy? There are human-people running around all over, along with not-human people, I woke up covered in what felt like elephant snot, I had to run around all different mazes that shot fire at me, and I can't find my mate. I have no idea what's going on, and I've been hiding ever since I got free of the mazes.]

Beastboy's little monkey eyes boggled, It wasn't every day that he met someone who could talk to animals, and even more amazing was this guy was a spitting image for "jungle boy" Except...manly.

Oh um...well...it's kind of a long story. He pushed himself up to a sitting position on the branch and wrapped his tail around it to stay steady, You might wanna sit down, it's not a happy one either I'm afraid.

While normally Beastboy was more then happy to blow peoples minds with his transformations he held onto this form for the time being. This guy might not take what news he had to offer well.

Deftly, making it seem like it took little to no effort (because it didn't), Tarzan swung himself upright and perched on a branch, holding onto a vine idly.

[Something bad has happened.]

He got that much from Beastboy's tone.

Yeah, that's about the size of it. Alright um...well to start things off, I'm Beastboy. Which...he realized was probably a weird sounding name even to other species, "And some big evil bugs from beyond the stars came to my world and destroyed all of it. I was rescued by a being called Stacy.

Maybe it would be easier to handle if he used himself first. This was harder then he thought. Usually when newbies pod popped Stacy did the explaining for him.

[How could bugs destroy a whole world?]

Skeptical skeptical skeptical.

They were really, really big bugs. Imagine like...if ants were like as big as elephants and mountains. They could just tear through forests and rocks and things.

For a dude not wearing pants he was pretty on the ball at least.

He had a plantsuit loincloth at least! And he was more than on the ball. Tarzan was probably a genius, if his ability to pick up English in a few months was any indication. He'd also invented a spear without anyone teaching him.

[Your world is gone, and this 'Stacy' saved you. Is Stacy the one in charge of this strange place? What is this place to begin with? And you say 'your world'--does that mean there's more than one? Jane and the Professor showed me the stars and things in the sky, and said there were other planets. Are you from another one besides Earth?]

Curious lil' thing, wasn't he.

There was a pause.

[If I'm here, does that mean my world is gone, too?]

Uh... Beastboy monkey looked perplexed as the barrage of questions came his way. Let's go one at a time...

He put a finger to his chin thinking, Have you ever seen a boat? Stacy is like a boat. We're all on her...but she's alive and totally aware we're here. And she scooped us all up and now we're sailing through...the stars. He grinned hopefully that the explanation had satisfied.

I come from Earth, but it might not be your Earth...like. There are lots of different versions of Earth if that makes sense?

And finally he hung his head a little and his shoulders slumped, Y-yeah...it is. B-but don't worry! Stacy saves there's a chance we can get it back! Everyone and everything safe and sound. That was always the hardest part to tell.

[We're on a...a starboat? That thinks for itself? And there's not just other worlds in the stars, there's other worlds just like the world? And they--and the world--are gone? But we can possibly get them back?]

He let out a hooting laugh.

[C'mooon, seriously? Now I know you're just making things up.]

Clamboring along the branch he was on, he swung around the tree trunk to face Beastboy again, body language screaming in monkey that he was skeptical to the bone.

[There's no way there could be a talking boat to the stars, and there's no way there could be other worlds and that they could all be eaten by giant bugs. What's really going on?]

Beastboy slapped a palm to his face in exasperation.

That IS what's going on dude. Come on what kind of monkey can make up a story like that? And how would you explain what's happened so far?

[I know monkeys that make up very funny things.]

Seriously, they could get pretty creative in their prankery.

But...but he could tell this one was serious. His face fell as he came to understand that.

[You're...you're serious, though, aren't you. We're really on a starboat, you're really from another world--there are other worlds, like the planets in the night sky. Our worlds are really gone?]

No. No, his world couldn't be gone. It was a whole world, with amazing things outside of his jungle that he'd never even seen. It was far too big to be gone, full of too many different things.

Beastboy felt his stomach drop as he realized that he might have driven the point home too much. He held up his palms, Easy there big fella, it's not gone forever, remember we can...no we are gonna get it all back. He slapped a fist into a palm.

There are lots of people here, creatures and beings with great power and skill. And together we're going to put things right.

No. Nononono, this was wrong. It couldn't be true.

"Jane," he murmured, eyes wide and terrified.

[What about Jane? Where is she? Where is my mother and the rest of my family? The Professor? If the world is gone...]

Was everyone he loved gone too? It didn't matter if it could be brought back, what if they were gone and it actually couldn't? What if his family was gone?

What if Jane was gone?

Probably in the pods. Stacy's saved alot of us and there are like...a bazillion pods that still haven't been opened...I think. At least that might be comforting. Heck if anything they're safer in there. The rest of us gotta fight the bad bugs. He was clearly anxious, worried that he had upset the new comer too much, twisting his tail in his paws nervously.

[How can I be sure? Would the Stacy-boat tell me if they were there if I asked her?]

He was in something of a panic now, unfortunately. The bonds between himself and his gorilla family were a deep and primal thing. He was supposed to protect them, supposed to keep them safe. He'd promised Kerchak.

The bond between himself and Jane went even deeper.

Now he wouldn't rest easy until he was absolutely sure they were here, that they were safe.

Beastboy blinked looking utterly baffled.

Why didn't I ever think of that?

He looked up as if looking to the clouds to see if rain was coming, I dunno if it'll work but the uh..."Stacy-boat" can see and hear most the things we do. If you call out she might answer.

Beastboy had not yet taken into account that it might be more difficult for Tarzan to do just that.

He let out some vocalizations that were different than speaking in moneky. Now he was speaking in gorilla.

[Stacy, where's Jane? Where's my family? Are they in the the strange caverns with the elephant snot, sleeping?]

No answer. Apparently, Stacy wasn't quite fluent in gorilla or she was just programmed to not respond unless it was a different language.

Frowning, Tarzan tried English. "Stacy. Where Jane? Where family? Sleeping in cave?"

||I'm sorry, Tarzan, but I do not have a list of all those sleeping in the Pod Caverns. They could be there, but they might not be.||

It wasn't much, but it was enough to break his hopes, enough to send a chill down his spine.

Now his world was gone, and he wasn't sure if his world, the gorillas and people he loved, were safe. If they weren't, what if they couldn't be brought back?

[I was supposed to protect them,] he said, shaking his head, [I was supposed to keep them safe.]

You still can dude. Beastboy slid onto Tarzan's branch and put a hand on his shoulder. And I'll help. We all will. We're in this together.

[No, I failed. I promised Kerchak, I promised I'd keep them safe, and I failed them.]

With that he tore off into the branches, and ran off, not even sure where he was going, finding the need to just to run, as if running meant he could get away from the reality of his situation.

DUDE! Beastboy flung himself after Tarzan, and instinctively turned into a falcon to dart and dodge and roll through the trees. He was the one who'd freaked out Tarzan and he had to be there to help!

Watching and Waiting [open]

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