driftfleet | In like a Tourist, out like a lamb

Those would be the initial guesses, but who really knows? Atroma doesn't exactly tell us anything, you know, and as far as I can tell no one has concrete evidence one way or the other.

_{[ He shrugged, because it was the truth of it. For all he knew, they WERE on a show, but it seemed like a lot of effort for that sort of thing, not to mention highly unethical and illegal. Experiment seemed more likely, but other than the augment implanted in his head, he had no real evidence of that either. Which just made it frustrating. ]}

Come on, you know what they say - no pain, go gain.

Yeah, the only thing people know to tell you is that we know nothing except that here we are and someone's paying us. Unless of course we're not even here and this is some seriously elaborate virtual reality and people know to tell you zilch with a side of nada -

[ it's incredibly frustrating. on the one hand, this is a conspiracy theorist's dream. on the other, this is a scardy cat's nightmare. and right now? winn's feeling the latter much more intensely. if it is an experiment, he would really like to get his hands on the thesis; he's absolutely not ok with being a test subject, especially where his brain in concerned. it's a fragile thing as it is. ]

Maybe for guys like you. For the rest of us it's more like 'pain - no gain anyway'.

_{[ He blinks at him for a second and shakes his head. ]}

I'm going to ask this once - would you like me to slap you or kiss you? Either one tends to wake people up or prove that they are awake.

_{[ Because you sound like you're about to have some sort of mental break down and as understandable as it is, there really isn't time for it. Better that he simply get over it now and move on rather than break at a potentially critical moment. ]}

[ from winn's point of view - they have nothing but time for his mental breakdowns. it's why he keeps having so many of those! nothing to keep him distracted from them, he's not used to all this boredom. he comes from the world of playing on your phone while your video game loads meanwhile there's a movie playing in the background. this is torture.

right at this second though, he's not actually having a meltdown, which results in him giving kirk a stay-the-hell-away-from-me sort of glare. ]

Yeah, if I were asleep you'd be a woman and the slapping wouldn't be on the table, I know I'm awake.

[ his life basically sucks, his brain doesn't need to make stuff like that up. he's just trying to figure out other possibilities. if these people are powerful and capable enough to make them see this impossible scenario - they can probably make them feel it too, right? it's all about stimulating the right areas of their brain at the right times. just because he doesn't know the technology for it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, especially if the theory of the multiverse is involved! is it really more complicated than abducting people from multiple planets and dimensions, a lot of them with superpowers, and trap them in a fleet of spaceships? ]

Back off - [ he stretches his arm between them, as if that would somehow stop the guy. (really, his only chance here is for jim to listen, because he certainly isn't strong enough to do anything about it if he decides to go with either plan. and yelling 'kara!' isn't as magical a fix as it used to be). ] I'm just trying to think outside the spaceship.

_{[ If you keep having so many, maybe you should go seek medical help. Honestly, you hang out with alien girl fighting crime, why are you having such a hard time with the whole riding through space concept?

A bark of laughter does leave him at the other's response though and he reaches into their unit to hold out a water bottle to him instead. ]}

Well that answers a few questions about you.

_{[ He leans back against the counter and drinks more of his water, crossing one arm across his chest as he does so, watching Winn with the wariness one does a startled cat, waiting for it to scratch. ]}

But look man, I get that it's upsetting what's happened. But panicking and freaking out isn't going to help your situation. In fact, freaking out and panicking makes sure that you make a bad decision. So just calm down, breathe for a second, and I'll answer your questions and we'll get you sorted.

Also, if you at any time you feel the need to vomit, the trash can is over there.

[ he was told space xanax wasn't a thing -- are you saying he's been lied to? because he may want to keep a supply of that around just in case -

he's usually behind a screen helping her with her crime fighting, or at worst - manning the phones for her at work. he's not usually in on the action...and space is not a happy place for someone who's terrified of heights, you know?

winn grabs the bottle uncertainly - this guy is weird - why did kara think they were gonna get along so well? ]

Yeah, glad we got those out of the way -

[ scratching may be the worst he'd be able to inflict about now, so it's a fair comparison. though attacking is not really on his mind, so maybe it's not. ]

-- I'm fine, thanks. [ he already did his vomiting. ] Besides - I thought we settled on the answer for everything being 'I don't know' - unless, I'm missing a key question?

_{[ Probably. But any doctor worth their salt wouldn't give you any - you look likely to abuse in this state of mind. And they really didn't need someone being loopy during emergencies.

Doesn't it feel good to get out and be part of the action for once then? And to be fair, there is no "up" or "down" in space, so therefore there is no height. You're essentially floating in a vacuum, so those two concepts only have meaning within the artificial gravity of the ships themselves.

And he's perfectly normal, thank you, you're the weird one. :/ ]}

Well you could have more questions than the ones we've already covered. I'll answer as much as I can, especially the ones about space. Which if I'm not mistaken seems to be the part you're most worried about.

[ wow, he would not, thank you very much! he happens to be way cooler under pressure than he ever is when everything is just marginally not ok.

but this isn't really 'part of the action', this is - trapped, without any idea what to do about it. he thinks of plans, and alternative plans, but they're all annoyingly hypothetical because everything here is just so different. god knows how long it's going to take him to get even one single component right, and in the meantime, their benevolent overlords could change absolutely everything else, oh and that part he figured out too. he almost prefers a fist fight. (he said almost! don't go getting excited there!)

and space -- space has one more very significant up or down - the one that's in his head, the one that will forever view 'earth' as down, and everything distant from it as 'up'. he knows space doesn't have true directions like those, thank you very much, but floating away forever isn't in any way more comforting than falling to his death - it's actually like making the falling part last forever and ever and ever...without the relief of the splat that at least makes everything over (that is, assuming he's protected from all the other ways space can kill him).

you don't find that scary? you're weird, deal with it. ]

The kidnapped against our wills part is pretty concerning. [ especially since they managed to grab supergirl and all ] But yeah -- you know what, thanks, I got a lot of science fiction mixed up with my science where this place is concerned - how do you navigate using stars when they're actually in your face?

[ this may not be going amazingly, but the guy is a friend of kara's, and he does need some info if he's ever going to come up with a plan that works. ]

_{[ Kirk isn't so sure, but the current performance isn't giving him much faith. But he will pretend to believe you.

He understands the frustration part. He's used to doing, to being the hero, to getting things done one way or the other. Not having all the information, barely understanding their actual roll, or even who Atroma was - it was enough to give him the hate energy to run several full miles a day in the gym and then some. At this rate, he would loose those ten pounds Bones was worried about in no time.

It's really more like floating in water. Not so much a sensation of falling so much as suspension. Falling involves gravity, the sense of being pulled - floating is just... floating. It can be quite soothing, actually. Though death by asphyxiation wasn't precisely pleasant, though most likely you would pass out before you realized anything.

But no, he doesn't find it scary. Do you know what's scary? A giant crab monster trying to eat you. ]}

You don't. You use coordinates like you would on earth, but there's a new axis added - Z. It's the perception of depth. So say you have a point on a piece of paper, right? You have X and Y, which bisects that area into four flat quadrants. Add in Z and you add depth - so now your flat squares are more like cubes.

And your coordinates read like this.

_{[ He rolled up his sleeve to show Winn the series of numbers tattooed on his right forearm. ]}

Those are Earth's galactic coordinates. But we really don't do any of the navigating by hand - we use subspace sensors to help plot the courses, which helmsman lock in and coordinate with the ship. Or at least that's how it worked on my own ship.

[ for winn, it would have ended up being the opposite, if space wasn't also lacking in the real food department. stripped of his tech, stripped of his comfort food, stripped of all but one of his cardigans - what's a guy to do, but freak out? and don't say work out. please don't say work out.

yes. a giant crab monster is also scary. it doesn't make death by space any less scary, the two are not mutually exclusive and you know what? now he's also terrified of giant crab monsters - are those a thing? someone go check under his....couch.

winn listens intently to the explanation, grateful for some real information at last, as well as the distraction - from space and their previous conversation. ]

So hypothetically, if we can figure out how to navigate this thing, and how to cut it off from remote control - [ yes, two completely improbably actions, he knows, but they're all pieces to the puzzle, and what does he really have to do here but work on them? don't say work out. ] if we punch in those numbers we'll make it to this verse's earth? [ he may be memorizing them. ]

_{[ It's a great way to relieve stress, all right? You should try it
Winn. He promises you'll feel better - or be to tired to care. Either way,
it's better than what you're currently feeling, right?}

_{oh no, when he says giant crab he means like a thirty foot tall red
creature with a prehensile tongue. It would not fit underneath your bed, by
any stretch of the imagination.}

_{He gives a shake of his head and a sympathetic look. ]}

Not that simple. Atroma controls these ships so taking them so far isn't possible - and I'm fairly certain it's with more than remote control. Other people have tried to leave, and Atroma has pulled them back or stopped them. I'm not even sure these little ships can make the necessary jumps in the first place.

Not saying it's not worth exploring - I want to go home too. But just prepare yourself for the long haul.

[ most likely, he'll be tired and frustrated and self-loathing at how quickly it made him tired and frustrated.

his imagination is pretty stretchy, ok! just. just look in there. ]

This is all in the hypothetical - [ he's perfectly aware of how long a haul it's gonna be, especially since he can't discuss a single thing in private thanks to their wonderful overlords' desire to snoop - but if he doesn't do anything it won't just be long, right, it'll be the rest of his life or until they get bored of him. and have you seen him freak out? he's pretty entertaining! ]

When you say 'pulled them back or stopped them' - do you have any specifics? [ he'll take any spec of actual information about atroma and their abilities ]

_{[ Oh he's getting plenty of entertainment over this particular freak
out. Though he is seeing how you and Kara are friends. It must be adorable
when you freak out together. ]}

One guy essentially opened a dimensional portal if I understand him right, and - nope. That got shut down, and he's back here.

Needless to say, I think we're going to have to come at this from sideways if we plan to get home.

[ oh, kirk. this doesn't even rank as a freak out, you have much to learn, you sweet summer child. ]

If -- who is he? [ because you know what that sounds like someone he would like to talk to himself! ]

I'm open to suggestions.

_{[ He'll look forward to that day. Or maybe not. It depends on when it happens. ]}

Goes by the name Alphonse Elric. You can contact him through the network easily enough.

Right now, I don't have much of one for you. We're stuck in the waiting and gathering more information stage of this sort of thing.

[ don't worry, kirk, chances are it won't be when you need him to do something useful, something useful would keep his mind off the freak out. ]

I'll look him up, thanks.

[ he nods ]

Usually the stage I excel in. [ but these computers are giving him nothing. he feels betrayed. ] So -- what's the craziest place you've ever been to? [ he may as well prepare himself for what might be ahead. and maybe hopefully find a story to latch onto for distraction. this guy already thinks that him thinking is him freaking out -- maybe it's childish but he wants to regain some cool points in front of someone kara obviously cares for.

maybe crazy wasn't the best descriptive to ask for for that purpose. ]

_{[ Always good to know, you know, since he's been told you are more or less going to be staying on their ship in Kara's office.

He can understand the betrayal part. He had tried the same, attempting to coax out information from the systems, dig deeper, find that one little piece that might send them cascading towards answers. But nothing. Nothing he wasn't sure others could access as well, and now he would be suspicious of finding anything in the first place.

At the question he chuckles and looks towards the ceiling as he considers. ]}

Hmmm, that's a bit of a tough one. I did all the normal routes in Star Fleet, and we've known about most of those planets for awhile, so I don't know if I would call them crazy... But I guess if I had to choose, it was this ice planet I ended up on. For such a barren little world, it had some pretty deadly creatures on it - big too. It was surprising considering I would think they'd be more compact to combat the cold, but evolution works in strange ways.

And for future reference - giant carnivorous crabs don't like fire.

[ yeah, you're basically stuck with him now. every purchase of kara comes with one free winn you absolutely cannot take back or re-gift. enjoy! ]

Evolution is basically a drunk driver.

[ it does a lot of really stupid things. like creating giant carnivorous crabs. ]

I'll -- keep that in mind. They don't like it in the 'it makes them mad' sort of way, or 'light 'em up like the fourth of July' way?

[ because the distinction is very important, ok. ]

_{[ He's not regretting it - yet. ]}

It doesn't like it in that it dropped me before it could eat me and ran away kind.

_{[ The memory is not his favorite, though he looked back on it with a sort of... not fondness. He wasn't sure how he looked back on it to be honest. The emotions there were somewhat complicated, even now, though mostly he got a good story out of it. ]}

It didn't bother us again I and the guy who saved me made it over to the Star Fleet station located on the planet.

[ and in the end, isn't not being regretted yet what we all want? ]

Always carry matches in case of giant crabs - got it.

[ he's not sure he'd call this a good story - but hey if he ever faces a giant crab and this story saves his life he will forever be grateful for having heard it! ]

Any other tips?

_{[ Well... life goals, Winn. It's good to have them. ]}

_{[ Well, he didn't tell you the story like he usually does. The whole getting marooned part and running into his first lieutenant's older self in said cave. He trimmed it down for the sake of not blowing more of Winn's mind. ]}

Don't throw up in the shuttle.

_{[ He smirks at him, teasing Winn around his water bottle. He's not sorry, Winn. ]}

[ realistic goals, everyone needs one or two things they can actually achieve.

winn's mind deeply appreciates the sentiment. at least he didn't freak out over giant carnivorous crabs. yet. ]

Too late.

[ he'd very much like to be cool, but he isn't. pretending otherwise - well it's exhausting and pointless, sometimes - it's just easier to steer into the skid ]

_{[ There's a moment of looking at him at that admission and then a little sigh, shaking his head ever so slightly. ]}

Did you at least clean it out?

_{[ Cause they have to share those things, Winn. ]}

It was a joke.

[ he's not sure if this guy is taking him too seriously, or just thinks really lowly of him.

leaning towards the latter, since he's asking him if he left his disgusting mess to congeal. ]

_{[ Well, you were the one freaking out about the whole 'floating' thing, and it wasn't the first time he'd seen someone get sick their first time in space. It was understandable that the loss of gravity and 'direction' messed with your head and equilibrium, though actually throwing up was a bit more rare.

A brow arches at that and he turns to put the bottle in the bin. ]}

Ah. Well, that's a relief. Sorry, you're really good with that straight face. Wouldn't happen to play poker, would you?

In like a Tourist, out like a lamb

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science i may or may not have just made up + actual Star Trek stuff

I bow before your made up science abilities!

/makes magic sparkle fingers

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