driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Annabeth and you!
Broadcast: Video, fleet-wide.
Action: Yes! On this post or on the Vanquish mingle.
When: Today.

[the feed opens with a closeup on a pair of narrowed gray eyes. then she draws back and the whole of her face comes into view, revealing a teenage girl with curly hair and a solid glower. she's mostly ignored the network until now, but it's been days and she, apparently, isn't going anywhere. knowledge is power, and she's not going to get that by trying to ignore her situation until it goes away. besides, she's a daughter of athena and that's not how she deals with problems. if using her communicator attracts monsters, it attracts monsters; but she hasn't seen any since she's been here. it's simultaneously nice and really weird.]

You know, this place could seriously use a welcome brochure. I wouldn't say no to an orientation video, either. Like, welcome to space! Congrats on being selected for the worst reality show ever. [or so says the irritating cheery voice she keeps hearing. ugh. and there she thought being featured on hephaestus tv at the thrill ride o' love was bad.] And that's saying a lot, believe me. I want information -- whatever you know about this place, the planets you've seen, monsters you've fought, anything. Bonus points if you can tell me what I need to do to find some burgers around here.

[she can hope. she moves to stop the feed, hesitates, and then pulls back for one last thing.]

And if anyone recognizes me from camp? You'd better say hi.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Thanks. Are those the only planets you've been to?

[the monsters don't sound a lot like anything in particular she's ever heard of. ugh, she just got started on learning about roman gods and monsters. is she going to have to add aliens to her list of monsters to know about? annoying.]

I'm used to weird. It's not so easy to freak me out.

I'm pretty new, comparatively. So yeah, that's everything noticeable.

[ It's just better not to think about it. ] You should be more worried about ship disruptions than monsters, on the whole. [ Also, breathing in space and not dying. ] The whole fleet was attacked, but that was before I got here. Still, it might happen again.

Must have been some camp. [ He raises his eyebrows. She's not even blinking at his appearance, which is new. Most people ask. ]

How new is new? [him specifying "comparatively" doesn't seem like a great sign.] Do ship disruptions happen a lot? [how do people NOT DIE if that's the case?????] And attacked by who?

[whew, that was a lot of questions even for her. she pauses, just to give herself a breather and think about how to answer his question. she'd wondered about his appearance, but...once she'd accepted that they're in space, weird-looking people became a why not. besides, she's seen weirder. if they were talking in person, she'd be more guarded (what if he's a monster?), but it's not like he can do anything over the feed.

great, she probably just jinxed herself.]

It's home. [which is another weird thing to say about a summer camp, she knows, but less weird than the alternatives. besides, she isn't ready to talk about its real purpose with strangers.] Which is why if there's a way back? I'm going to find it.

Four months, rounded off. Give or take a week or two. [ He can't be bothered to be exact. It's not really important here, so he omits the information. ] I don't know. Presumably people who don't like the fleet. And I don't have enough data for a pattern.

[ If Elecman had been able to hear her thoughts, he might have had some more judging raised eyebrows. She sure uses the words 'monster' pretty liberally, he might have thought.

But since he can't hear her thoughts, it's a moot point. ]

Right. [ And he doesn't probe further, because if someone thinks of a camp as home, then he's not going to ask. ] That's fair enough. Most people want to go home and not be stuck on reality tv.

By the way, they've chipped your brain. [ So helpful!! ]

[in her life, weird usually translates to monsters. and when it doesn't, it's gods, or titans, or giants, or...you probably get the picture. #demigod life.

he gives her a lot to respond to, but the last comment has her jaw dropping. she recovers fast -- at least in terms of closing her mouth -- but she's clearly furious, and her eyes seem to darken a few shades.]

They've. What?

[ Now that's a reaction he can relate to. He raises his hand and taps the back of his neck - around where the base of the skull is. ]

They put an augment on every 'passenger'. [ His voice is sour. ] It's the reason we can all communicate in the same way, probably. And how everyone understands how to operate basic technology.

[ If Annabeth touches the place where he's indicating now, she'll probably be able to feel the augment there. ]

[she mirrors his action, raising a hand to the base of her skull and -- yep, there it is. she's disgusted, and her expression shows it, before she tries to reel it back in. focus.]

If you know about it, then why do people still have them?

Well, you can try to remove it.

[ He sounds even more sour than before, if possible. ] I'm sure other people have tried, too. But you can still try to yank something out of your brain that's probably connected to it, if you want.

[ He tried to fry his! IT WAS A BAD TIME ]

Okay, point taken.

[ugh ugh uGHHHHH GROSS.]

Is that the only one?

[ WELCOME TO THE FLEET he takes some amusement in her disgust, though he doesn't show it on his face. It eases the constant grouchiness he has about not being able to yank his own augment out. ]

As far as I know - yeah. Did you get a special one, or are you just a civilian?

Special. [thankfully. being considered a civilian anywhere would've just irritated her.] Communications.